Penn State standout lineman Olu Fashanu declares for April’s NFL draft

Fashanu, the Nittany Lions standout offensive lineman will opt to forego his senior season to test his NFL weight.

Penn State offensive lineman Olu Fashanu announced his intent to declare for April's NFL Draft, in which he's projected to go as a first-round selection.Read moreCRAIG HOUTZ / For The Inquirer

by Max Ralph

Published Dec. 22, 2023, 2:55 p.m. ET

Penn State’s stalwart offensive lineman Olumuyiwa Fashanu has always been projected as a first-round pick if he decided to enter April’s NFL draft — he just needed to make it official.

On Friday, the junior left tackle did just that with an Instagram post, opting to forego his senior season and make the leap to the pros.

“There aren’t enough words to express how impactful the past four years at Penn State have been,” Fashanu’s statement read. “This football program which has become my family, the Smeal College of Business, and this entire Penn State community have taught me so much.”

Fashanu, who was named the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year will travel with the team to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl, but he has not made it clear whether he will play in the game against Ole Miss, saying only that he “looks forward to spending time with his teammates and coaches in Atlanta.”

Similarly projected as a top-10 pick for last year’s NFL draft, Fashanu opted to return to Penn State (10-2), where he was slated to graduate this fall. The 6-foot-6, 317-pound tackle quickly became one of college football’s top offensive linemen after seeing his first starting action in the Outback Bowl at the end of the 2021 season.

After starting the first eight games of 2022, Fashanu was injured against Ohio State and did not return to the field. He stayed healthy in 2023, playing in all 12 games, but head coach James Franklin was conscious about the number of snaps he played.

Fashanu, a Penn State captain, has not given up a sack in over 650 pass-blocking snaps in the past two seasons and is a 2023 finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, nicknamed the “Academic Heisman.” He was twice an All-Big Ten honoree and named an All-American by various outlets.

Penn State has given ample opportunity to sophomore Drew Shelton to replace Fashanu this season as soon as games were comfortably in hand. Shelton burned his redshirt season by starting in the five games Fashanu missed last year. The Pennsylvania native and former four-star prospect figures to be the favorite to step into the primary role on the blind side.