Where Penn State football stands at offensive tackle heading into the 2022 season

Penn State’s offensive line had an up and down 2021 season, struggling in the run game but creating a clean pocket frequently in the passing game. The pass blocking success begins on the outside where the team’s offensive tackles generally found success. Rasheed Walker and Caedan Wallace were on the outside for most of the season, but with the former moving on to the NFL, the Nittany Lions will have to find a replacement.

Let’s take a look at where the team stands at offensive tackle heading into the 2022 season.

Projected starters: Redshirt sophomore Olu Fashanu and redshirt junior Caedan Wallace

Despite the need to replace Walker, Penn State might actually take a step forward at starting offensive tackle this season. Walker was a talented tackle, who was able to succeed in the passing game with his talent, but his inconsistencies created issues for the group as a whole for extended stretches of games. Fashanu should be able to provide more consistency at left tackle while Wallace continues to grow at right tackle.

Let’s start there, with the veteran anchoring the strong side of the line. Wallace has started 20 of Penn State’s 22 games over the last two seasons and will be there without much competition to push him this year.

He’s 6-foot-5 and is listed at 319 pounds with the strength and physicality to excel in the run game. He’s especially effective at getting to the second level of the defense, but can occasionally be too eager to do so and allow defenders to get their hands on the running back. Wallace has length to be an effective pass rusher, but he has to use it better in order to find more success there. He was a net positive in the passing game last season, but the best pass rushers in the conference gave him a difficult time more often than not.

Fashanu enters the season with limited experience — starting only the Outback Bowl against Arkansas last season — but may already be the team’s best offensive lineman. He has prototypical size at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds and was at the top of his game in his only extended action last year.

There’s more reason to question the film with Fashanu, entirely because of the small sample size, but what he showed was promising. He has good feet for his size, sliding to stay engaged with pass rushers, and has strong hands to swipe away defenders’ hands. He put that on display against the Razorbacks, while also showing he can push defensive ends downfield in the running game.

Fashanu may not have the experience of Wallace, but he should be the team’s best offensive tackle this year. The pairing should help stabilize the offensive line on the outside and give the talented group inside the help it needs. Fashanu and Wallace will dictate just how good the offensive line can be, and the expected growth from both would give Penn State one of its best offensive lines in recent years.

Key backups: Redshirt sophomores Ibrahim Traore and Jimmy Christ

The reality of the offensive line situation is that there aren’t direct backups that will come in should Fashanu or Wallace miss time. Penn State’s depth at offensive guard would likely lead to one of those players kicking out to tackle to get the team’s best five linemen on the field. That being said, if the coaching staff did decide to go to a direct replacement, Christ and Traore are best positioned to be those players at this time.

Neither player has real game experience, which doesn’t bode well for their chances of taking over in a pinch next season. The two redshirt sophomores have different builds and should be different types of tackles.

Christ is taller at 6-foot-7, while weighing 315 pounds. He came into college with a good frame but needed to add strength as he worked toward being a Big Ten tackle. He’s added some weight but will need to continue to get stronger in order to be a starter in the long run. The plus side for Christ is that he’s a good athlete who moves really well for someone his size, allowing him to get downhill in the running game and slide laterally to take on pass rushers. He had shown the ability to be effective with his hands against pass rushers in high school, something he’ll need to translate to this level to crack the rotation this year.

Traore, meanwhile, is 6-foot-5 but heavier at 330 pounds. He’s much more stout but still has the requisite length to play on the outside at offensive tackle. The redshirt sophomore is a good athlete at his size and had all of the tools as a recruit to turn into a high level offensive tackle. His lack of elite size should push him to right tackle, which is fine for Penn State, considering Christ is more suited for left tackle.

It’s difficult to evaluate the team’s backup offensive tackles because of their lack of playing time, but both have the tools to be starters if they can turn those tools into on-field production.

Freshman to watch: Drew Shelton

One of Penn State’s best players in its 2022 class was an offensive tackle, making this an easy choice. Shelton is long and lean at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds but is a great athlete for a tackle. His frame should allow for him to gain the weight needed to play tackle. That’s a good thing, because he may need to add 50 pounds to be able to play in the Big Ten.

Shelton could play either tackle position, but his length means he’ll likely stick on the left side in the long term, protecting the quarterback’s blind side. He’s not going to contribute as a freshman — and it’s unlikely he even does as a redshirt freshman in 2023 — but Shelton’s addition to the program means Penn State has a potential building block on the offensive line in the long run. Those types of players are not easy to find, increasing his value to the team even more.

This story was originally published June 27, 2022 at 10:34 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.