One of Penn State’s biggest pieces of the offensive line — literally and figuratively — is back with the team at full capacity.
Tackle Drew Shelton, who underwent an offseason surgery and missed spring practice, has been cleared for all activities, coach James Franklin said Thursday.
The 6-5, 306-pound Shelton was seen wearing a sling over his shoulder and arm throughout the offseason.
He was able to play through the injury to finish the year, but it was something Franklin said made sense to get fixed. Shelton’s final step in recovery was clearance for full weight room activity, which came recently.
“I think he handled his time out physically the right way. Been a really good coach and mentor to some of the younger players,” Franklin said. “He’s a super mature kid, very conscientious, very intelligent. And he’s played well when he’s been in there, all the way back to as a true freshman. We’re expecting him to have a good year, but this summer is going to be important for him and training camp will be important for him because he did miss all spring.”
Shelton has been the heir apparent at left tackle to recent first-round NFL draft pick Olu Fashanu for some time. Fashanu missed the final five games of the 2022 season with injury, opening the door for Shelton to start as a true freshman, and the Downingtown, Pennsylvania, native excelled. Shelton appeared in all 13 games in 2023 as a sophomore, making one start but playing significantly as a rotational piece.
Franklin has said multiple times, and reaffirmed Thursday, that the coaching staff viewed Shelton as a starter despite slotting behind Fashanu on the depth chart. He’ll have his first chance to enter a season as the favorite at a position this year, while the staff is looking for Shelton to add a few pounds this offseason.
“I think any guy in the program that started multiple games, we look at like a starter,” Franklin said. “That means they got in and played well enough to win. It’s not like somebody gets hurt, you go in, you didn’t play well enough for us to win and you’re a starter that way. I’m talking about a guy that got in games and played well enough at this level for us to win Big Ten games. And he did that as a true freshman, which is difficult to do on the offensive line.”
Franklin, however, also shouted out redshirt freshman offensive lineman Jven Williams for the work he’s done since coming to campus. The former No. 1 class of 2023 prospect in Pennsylvania, Williams inherited Fashanu’s No. 74 jersey this offseason and will compete for playing time. He has practiced at virtually every position to this point, but Franklin seemed to suggest Thursday that his reps will often come at tackle moving forward.
“Jven has played well enough in practice that he should get time, too. We’d like to like to be able to get him some legitimate reps, as long as things all sit the way they are now. It could become even more competitive during training and be more of a split [with Shelton], but Jven’s done enough that we need to get him some experience as well.”
Regardless of how things play out, Shelton’s addition to the 2024 offensive line group is “huge,” as potential starting center Nick Dawkins said. Fashanu had already spoken highly of Shelton in the past, and Dawkins showered more praise on the junior Thursday, calling him one of the most talented tackles in the country.
“Finally getting him back, having his leadership and his work ethic shown throughout the room, it’s so important for our run and pass game,” Dawkins said. “And just driving competition, too, in the offensive line room. We have a lot of depth, and when you have guys competing at a high level starting and backups, guys want to play better. He’s one of the most crucial keys of this offensive line.”
