Penn State has high expectations for the 2023 college football season following an 11-win campaign that ended with a Rose Bowl win. The Nittany Lions are projected inside the top 10 of national preseason rankings, with Big Ten championship aspirations and a debut College Football Playoff appearance in focus.
PSU opens its 2023 game schedule Sept. 2 versus West Virginia in Beaver Stadium, set for a 7:30 p.m. ET broadcast on NBC. In the meantime, our Countdown to Kickoff series will feature players whose uniform numbers correspond with that number of days remaining until that matchup.Now at66days, we focus on veteran Nittany Lions lineman Drew Shelton.
THE BASICS
Position:Offensivetackle
Class:Junior
Size:6-5,306 pounds
High School: Downingtown West (Pa.)
PATH TO PENN STATE
The top-ranked offensive lineman in Pennsylvania's 2022 class,Drew Sheltonemerged as a Power Five prospect and Penn State pledge atDowningtown West but headed south after his junior season. He transitioned to national powerhouse IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) early in 2021, shaking up some dynamics of his recruitment, but eventually returned north to finish his high school career back home.
Considered a Top247 talent and the No. 14 tackle prospect in 247Sports' 2022 recruit rankings, Shelton spent some time exploring other collegiate options while at IMG but traveled to Happy Valley three times in June 2022 and ultimately shut down his recruitment after visiting Florida and Rutgers. That decision was a huge boost for the 2022 Nittany Lions class.
"I wanted to make sure I made the right decision, so I took a couple of visits," Shelton said of that experience. "But once I took my official to Penn State and came back again with the commits, it was obvious to me it was the right decision for me. Being a leader of this class, especially the offensive line aspect of it, is big. And I can't recruit if I'm not locked in 107 percent."
He completed his prep career in the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game and enrolled at Penn Statethat May.
HAPPY VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS
DuringSummer 2022, Shelton settled into his new surroundings at approximately 275 pounds, looking more like a basketball forward than a Big Ten tackle. It didn't take long for him to make strides in that department, and he impressed early on the practice field with quality technique, coachability and competitiveness throughout preseason camp.
With emerging first-round NFL draft prospectOlu Fashanuat left tackle and a rotation of veteransBryce EffnerandCaedan Wallacein place on the right side, Shelton was well on his way toward a redshirt in 2022. He handled only 16 total snaps through eight contests, checking in for brief reserve action.
Dynamics changed in late October when Fashanu suffered a season-ending injury against Ohio State. The Nittany Lions were already without Wallace— sidelined one week earlier— leading Effner to fill the right tackle role on his own. The staff determined Shelton as next man up at left tackle.
Shelton started the final five matchups of that season, including a Rose Bowl win. He became the first Nittany Lions offensive lineman to burn redshirt status since since 2016 (Connor McGovern),seeing nearly 400 snaps.
Instead of entering the 2023 NFL Draft as a projected first-round pick, Fashanu opted to remain in Happy Valley for a fourth year and recovered from his injury to earn All-American honors, starting each regular season game. Wallace also returned from injury to lock down the right tackle job after facing offseason competition from Shelton, who ultimately served as the primary backup at both spots and neared 400 snaps.
Fashanu ultimately opted out of the Peach Bowl, leading Shelton to log his first start since the Rose Bowl. As it turned out, he played through an injury, which required a procedureand recovery.
"It was one of those (injuries) that he could get through the season with," Penn State head coach James Franklin said in March declaring Shelton out for spring practices. "It made the most sense to get it done as soon as the season ended. ... Right now, obviously we wish we had him. But I think, long-term, it will be in his best interest and our best interest as well."
Two weeks ago, Franklin confirmed that Shelton is fully cleared for a return to on-field action ahead of preseason camp.
2024 OUTLOOK
Both tackle jobs are up for grabs with previous multi-year starters now NFL rookies. Shelton is easily Penn State's most experienced player at the position, but he missed out on 15 spring practice sessions, so there may be some rust to shake off and there will certainly be competition.
In Shelton's absence this spring, redshirt freshmanJ'ven Williamsloaded up on first-team reps at left tackle,including the vast majority of spring game snapswith Penn State's primary offense. The former five-star recruit will continue to push for playing time.
"J'ven has played well enough in practice that he should get time, too," Franklin said in June. "We'd like to be able to get him some legitimate reps, as long as things sit the way they are now. It could become even more competitive in training camp and become more of a split. But J'ven has done enough that we need to get him some experience as well."
Earlier this month, Trautweindiscussed the impact of Shelton being back in the mix.
"He's working on his sets, working on his hands,doing indy drills when we can," Trautwein said. "Just getting his mind right, getting him back to where he was, and keep getting him better."
SAVE MONEY ON LIONS247 VIP: 30% OFFAN ANNUAL PASS!
Previous Numbers
67 -Kareem McKenzie68 - Anthony Donkoh
69 -Floyd Wedderburn70 - Garrett Sexton
71 - Vega Ioane
72 - Nolan Rucci
73 - Caleb Brewer74 - J'ven Williams
75 - Eric Shrive
76 - Steve Smear
77 - Sal Wormley
78 - Mike Munchak79 - Addison Penn
80 - Mehki Flowers
81 - Kyle Brady
82 - Kenny Jackson83 - Joe Jurevicius84 - Peter Gonzalez85 - Luke Reynolds86 - Brenton Stange
87 - Andrew Rappleyea88 -Jerry Cross89 -Dave Robinson90 -Liam Andrews91 -Dvon Ellies and Chase Meyer92 -Smith Vilbert93 -Sander Sahaydak94 -Ryan Barker and De'Andre Cook95 -Jordan Mayer and Riley Thompson96 -Immanuel Iyke97 -T.A. Cunningham98 -Jordan Stout99 -Coziah Izzard100-Meet the Penn State transfer class
