Penn State Football: Olu Fashanu Declares For NFL Draft; Will Travel To Peach Bowl, Playing Status Uncertain

Penn State offensive tackle Olu Fashanu declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, he announced Friday. Fashanu said he will travel to Atlanta for the Peach Bowl but his status when it comes to playing in the Dec. 30 game against Ole Miss remains unclear.

“There aren’t enough words to express how impactful the last four years at Penn State have been. This football program, which has become my family, the Smeal College of Business and this entire Penn State community have taught me so much,” Fashanu wrote in a statement. 

Fashanu spent the last four seasons playing for Penn State, going from not playing his freshman year to a meteoric rise to becoming one of the premier offensive tackle prospects in the NFL Draft cycle. Last year Fashanu was seen as a likely top 10 draft choice before opting to return to Penn State for the 2023 season. He has generally been seen as a top 10 draft choice for the 2024 selection process — if not top five — as well. In the process Fashanu became Penn State’s 41st consensus All-American and was named the Rimington-Pace Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Fashanu mentioned in his statement that he looks forward to spending time with his teammates in Atlanta, language that is different than players who have either opted to play, or opted to skip, the bowl. He became the fifth Nittany Lion to declare for the draft travel to the Peach Bowl, alongside fellow lineman Caedan Wallace, Theo Johnson, Daequan Hardy and Curtis Jacobs. Defensive end Chop Robinson announced his intentions to enter the draft but will skip the bowl game.