3. Penn State Nittany Lions
The projected personnel: Drew Shelton Jr. (LT), Olaivavega Ioane (LG), Nick Dawkins (C), Sal Wormley (RG), Anthony Donkoh (RT)
Quotable via Lions247’s Daniel Gallen: “Penn State needs to replace three NFL Draft picks — first-rounder Olu Fashanu, third-rounder Caedan Wallace and fifth-rounder Hunter Nourzad — this fall, and while that leaves some uncertainty, offensive line coach Phil Trautwein has a stocked cupboard to pick from. The Nittany Lions have gotten their young linemen valuable experience over the past few seasons while also recruiting and developing at a high level. How the puzzle will fit together remains to be seen, but Penn State appears to have plenty of pieces to pick from.”
The Nittany Lions are not short on capable offensive linemen to mix and match up front, which is why the starting five has yet to be solidified ahead of the 2024 season. Those battles will continue into fall camp as others like Cooper Cousins, JB Nelson, Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci and J’ven Williams all fight for positioning in a stacked group. Nelson shared reps at left guard with Ioane in 2023 and actually made eight starts. A lot of pressure rides on the broad shoulders of this Penn State offensive line, which is responsible for paving the way for one of the best running back duos in the country, as well as protecting former five-star quarterback Drew Allar, who was only sacked 15 times last year.
