The countdown to kickoff rolls on and today we're down to 74 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. 74 offensive lineman J'ven Williams.
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The Recruitment
A former top-100 recruit, Williams was an early pledge for the Nittany Lions in the 2023 recruiting cycle. The Wyomissing product committed to Penn State on February 5th, 2022, and remained solid throughout the rest of his recruitment. He capped off his high school career by playing in the All-American Bowl.
In addition to Penn State, Williams also held offers from LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Tennessee, and USC, among others. Before committing to Penn State, Michigan was the other school that had piqued Williams' interest. He had visited Ann Arbor in the fall of 2021 and was a regular stop for then offensive line coach Sherrone Moore.
2024 Outlook
All the tools are there for Williams to be a big time player on the Nittany Lion offensive line. However, it must be remembered that despite being a borderline five-star recruit, Williams came to Happy Valley as a bit of a project.
Williams played in a run-heavy offense in high school where he was almost never asked to pass block. Due to this, his pass blocking remains a work in progress. That said, Williams continues to make strides in areas where strides need to be made.
Williams will be looking for an expanded role this season after appearing in three games as a true freshman last fall. He will enter fall camp battling for a spot in the two-deep at offensive tackle.
While Drew Shelton, Nolan Rucci, and fellow classmate Anthony Donkoh will get the lion's share of the reps at the tackle spots, Williams could work his way into the mix. You always want to have four players you're comfortable with at offensive tackle and Williams could be that fourth.
Regardless of where Williams ends up on the depth chart this season, he will likely see more playing time in lopsided games. It also would not be a surprise to see Williams be on the field goal/PAT unit. 2024 may provide a glimpse into the big future Williams could have at Penn State.
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