Why Penn State's Olu Fashanu Is 'Only Going to Get Better' With the New York Jets
The Jets selected Fashanu with the 11th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
How did Penn State's Olu Fashanu become an NFL first-round draft pick? By understanding how far he had to go when he arrived at Penn State. That trait will serve him well with the New York Jets, which selected Fashanu with the 11th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Fashanu became the 41st first-round pick in Penn State football history four years after signing with the program as a 3-star recruit. He was a mid-level tackle prospect, according to 247Sports and ESPN, and wasn't even Penn State's highest-ranked offensive lineman in the 2020 recruiting class. Fashanu had raw size, raw technique and a fierce will to improve both. So he lived on the scout team his freshman season, where defensive players quickly began to notice him. This is essential to understanding how Fashanu, at 21, will approach his rookie year with the Jets.
"The biggest thing about Olu is how he approached freshman year," former Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs said. "He really took that [developmental] squad role to a different level. A lot of people, if they would have got that role, they would have pouted. They would have transferred. But he attacked it every day, taking D squad reps against Odafe [Oweh] every day and just getting better. That's definitely something guys can look to when they're in that position, especially in this new age of college football. His story is definitely one of the good ones."
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Fashanu went from D squad legend to consensus All-American in four years, producing one of Penn State's great careers at left tackle. He did not allow a sack over his two seasons as a starter. As a senior, Fashanu was among the nation's highest-graded tackles and the Big Ten offensive lineman of the year. He became Penn State's first offensive lineman to be a consensus All-American since Jeff Hartings in 1995. And again, Fashanu knew what he didn't know, one reason he returned to Penn State for the 2023 season instead of declaring for the draft after just one season as a starter.
"Olu's a pro," Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. "Some guys get all this hype and recognition and start to push back. They feel satisfied and don't work as hard. Olu's the opposite. He's hungry every single day."
As a senior, Fashanu did not allow a sack in 382 pass-blocking snaps and in more than 680 over the past two years. According to Sports Info Solutions, Fashanu recorded just eight blown blocks (only one in run-blocking situations) last season. Fashanu now grades among the most physical and technically proficient tackles in the draft.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler, who ranked Fashanu as the No. 2 tackle in the draft, cited the tackle's physical gifts, "body quickness" and attention to detail. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah called Fashanu a "plug-and-play" left tackle. Both noted Fashanu's 2023 game against Ohio State, calling it his least impressive film of the season, and that's where Fashanu thrives. He understands those situations, reflects on them and improves.
"Everyone has a different timeline," Fashanu said. "As a freshman, I wasn’t as talented as someone like [Penn State tackle] Drew Shelton, who started five games as a true freshman in the Big Ten. When I was a freshman, I was nowhere near prepared to start. Mentally, physically I wasn’t in the right mindset. But everyone’s timeline is different. I know it sounds corny, but at the end of the day you just need to trust your own process. You have to trust it, embrace it and eventually your time will come."
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Though he didn't play in the Peach Bowl, Fashanu drilled with the team relentlessly. "I'm just trying to find any areas in my game that still need improvement," he said before the bowl game. Fashanu also made the trip to Atlanta as a team captain. He thought that was important.
"I made a commitment to this team until the end of the season, and the season’s still not over yet," he said before the bowl game.
Fashanu blossomed into a player few saw coming when he signed with Penn State out of Gonzaga High in Washington, D.C. Even he didn't necessarily see it coming. Which is why his coaches expect his career arc to continue rising.
"He's only going to get better, which is crazy to say, because I don't know how much better he can get," Trautwein said.
AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich.
