That didn't take long.
After visiting Penn State just 48 hours ago for the third time in seven months, Washington, D.C., offensive tackle Olu Fashanu announced Monday morning that he would be ending his recruitment and committing to the Nittany Lions.
Listed at 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Fashanu fits exactly what James Franklin and Matt Limegrover were pursuing: an athletic tackle with loads of potential. In fact, according to sources, Fashanu was Penn State's top remaining offensive lineman and one of its top overall players at any position, so this is a major add for the Nittany Lion coaching staff.
“This visit was mainly just about answering those final few questions that my parents had about Penn State," Fashanu said, when asked about his visit this past Saturday. "After our last two visits, we had a lot of information given to us, so my parents were just curious about a few other things.
"Thankfully, all of our remaining questions were not only answered, but it was what me and my family were hoping to hear. My parents appreciated everything they had to say.”
Fashanu is now the sixth prospect with a four-star rating in Penn State's Class of 2020. He's also the sixth offensive lineman to commit, joining Golden Achumba, RJ Adams, Nicholas Dawkins, Aaryn Parks and Grant Toutant. In previous interviews, Fashanu admitted that he already had a close relationship with a handful of the players that had already committed to Penn State. He was also given an opportunity this past weekend to get to know some of the players already on roster.
“I got the opportunity to have lunch with Anthony Whigan, Juice Scruggs and CJ Thorpe," Fashanu said. "They’re a great group. We talked about a bunch of different things, but what grabbed my attention was how tight everyone is. I think that’s a testament to how close the entire [offensive line] is at Penn State. That speaks for Coach Limegrover and how he just brings everyone together.”
Moving forward, we believe that Penn State is all but finished along the offensive line. With that said, Pennsylvania native Michael Carmody and Indiana native Josh Fryar are also high on the staff's board. If either decided that they wanted to join PSU's class before it begins to fill up at other positions, we think the staff would seriously consider it. With that said, Fryar has no plans to decide this summer and Carmody is likely leaning elsewhere.
In addition to Penn State, Fashanu earned scholarship offers from more than 20 other programs. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Michigan State and Oklahoma all extended offers, but it became clear in April that Florida, Michigan and Ohio State were among Penn State's top competitors. Fashanu was expected to take an official visit to Florida this upcoming weekend but that has now been canceled.