11/9/2022 football Edit

Franklin provides potential insight into Olu Fashanu's potential return

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

On Wednesday evening, Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media following Penn State's weekly practice availability.

During his time with the media, James Franklin indirectly provided a bit of insight into Olu Fashanu and his potential return.

Fashanu, Penn State's starting left tackle this season left the Nittany Lions' 44-31 loss to Ohio State with an undisclosed injury and then did not travel with the program to Bloomington last Saturday. Stepping up in Fashanu's place was true freshman Drew Shelton, who played admirably against the Hoosiers in his first career start.

While speaking about Shelton, Franklin told the media, "We'd still like to redshirt him if we could, but that may not be feasible." That could tell us quite a bit about Olu Fashanu and his return this season.

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With Drew Shelton already appearing in three games this season against Ohio, Minnesota, and Indiana, the Downingtown (PA) native has one game left to play before he would burn his redshirt eligibility. With three games left on the season, Shelton would have to play in two of the Nittany Lions' final three contests to burn his redshirt.

While James Franklin tends not to discuss injuries unless their season-ending, Franklin's comment about Shelton's redshirt status provides the insight that while it may not be officially season-ending, it could be likely the Nittany Lions are without Fashanu not just this weekend against Maryland but possibly next weekend as well against Rutgers, at the least. If he does in fact, miss both of the next two games, his status for the regular season finale against Michigan State would surely be in question.

It's worth noting that Fashanu was not at the Nittany Lions' Wednesday practice during the media's viewing window.

Another factor that can impact Fashanu's return timeline is the redshirt freshman's rising draft stock. The 19-year old out of Waldorf (MD) has gone from a relative unknown in the draft community to a potential top-10 pick this season with his strong play.

Franklin recently met with Fashanu and his family, having what he called a "productive meeting" in regard to the offensive tackle and his future. Ultimately, depending on what Fashanu looks to do this offseason, whether it's returning to the Nittany Lions or going pro could also impact how the Nittany Lions and Fashanu decide to handle his injury going forward.

Ultimately, when discussing Penn State injuries, it mostly comes down to speculation. But with Franklin's comments on Wednesday evening, it appears increasingly unlikely that Fashanu plays against the Maryland Terrapins this weekend, and his status for the rest of the season is very much in question.