The countdown to kickoff rolls on and today we're down to 66 days until Penn State football returns on August 31 against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
In today's countdown to kickoff profile, Happy Valley Insider highlights No. 66 offensive tackle Drew Shelton.
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How we got here
A three-year letter winner and a two-year captain at Dowingtown West High School, Shelton was one of the best offensive tackle prospects in the 2022 cycle. Shelton committed to the Nittany Lions in September of 2020, but his recruitment would not be one without some bumpiness.
After transferring to IMG Academy, Shelton earned an offer from Florida State and took official visits to Florida and Rutgers. Despite this, an official visit to Penn State followed by an unofficial the following week in the June before his senior season helped lock him in with the Nittany Lions.
Additionally, Shelton would never play a snap for IMG Academy. After spending a few months in Florida, he would return home to Downingtown for his senior campaign. This helped Penn State put a bow on his recruitment.
Shelton was quickly thrown to the fire in his collegiate career. Due to injuries, he would play in seven games with five being starts as a true freshman. This included Shelton starting at left tackle in Penn State's Rose Bowl victory over Utah.
Following a strong freshman campaign, expectations were high for Shelton entering his sophomore season. With Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace healthy, Shelton took on a role as a rotational piece at tackle and showed some growing pains while playing in all 13 games.
Even with these growing pains, the expectations among the coaching staff for Shelton remains high. He also earned All-Big Ten Academic honors as a true sophomore last season.
2024 Outlook
Even though Shelton missed the spring due to offseason surgery, he is still expected to start at left tackle this fall. Shelton will have big shoes to fill after Fashanu was selected 11th overall by the New York Jets in this past April's NFL Draft.
While expectations remain high for Shelton he also needs to improve this fall. The steps that were expected from his last fall were not all taken. With his set to start at left tackle, those steps need to be taken this fall for the Nittany Lion offensive line to reach its full potential. It's not a stretch to say that Shelton will be one of the most important players on Penn State's offense this fall.
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