Penn State second-year lineman J.B. Nelson is ready to roll for the Lions in 2023
STATE COLLEGE — Some players have come to Penn State from Lackawanna College in Scranton ready to make an instant impact in State College after a year in junior college. Pittsburgh Mt. Lebanon product JB Nelson may have been one of them. But, the Nittany Lions’ offensive line was healthy and productive enough to allow Nelson to redshirt in year one. He still got his feet wet during four games at the Power Five level, however. In year two, that should pay off in a big way.
Nelson, who stands 6-foot-5, 332 pounds, is projecting to take the team’s starting left guard job ahead of next weekend’s opener with West Virginia. Even if he didn’t wrestle control of the job during preseason camp, his versatility as a player who can play inside and outside would always lead to more snaps in 2023. Turns out, it will be a lot more than the 125 he took a year ago. How many won’t be determined for months. And, head coach James Franklin and his staff have not disclosed any position battle winners publically just 10 days before kickoff. But, assuming Nelson wins the first-team job, there is little doubt that he’ll be ready to go from the moment the Penn State offense first takes the field.
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“We went into this year feeling like JB was going to factor in, either as a starter or starter type reps, is how I viewed it coming into the season.” Franklin said after practice Wednesday night. “He’s built on that.
“His habits are a lot better in terms of how he practices, approaches, meetings, and everything else. You can make the argument he may be our most physical offensive lineman. I know talking to our defensive linemen, they got a ton of respect. So we expected him to play a significant role this year.”
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Penn State offensive line takes shape
As we noted above, no position battle winners have been announced externally. But, Drew Allar will be named the starter at quarterback soon enough. He has a five-star background and hopes are high regarding his potential. There will be ups and downs, of course. But, unlike some of his predecessors, protection should not be a problem. Penn State will start future first-round pick Olu Fashanu at left tackle. Nelson should be beside him at left guard. Hunter Nourzad will man the center spot. Sal Wormley will be the first-teamer at right guard. And, veteran Caedan Wallace will handle right tackle. It’s a group packed with experience and talent. And, it’s one that is ready to help Allar and this offense along.
“It starts up front on both sides of the ball,” Franklin said. “Obviously when you get a guy like Fashanu back, played a ton of football and [has] done it at a high level to lead that group, and especially with a first time starting quarterback on his blind side, obviously there’s a lot of value.”
