Why the Best Offensive Tackle in College Football Passed Up the 2023 NFL Draft

Penn State's Olu Fashanu could have been a top-five pick, but had other things in mind for 2023.

Author:
Luke Easterling
Mar 31, 2023 3:18 PM EDT

For many aspiring football prospects, the opportunity to strike while the iron is hot in terms of their NFL draft stock is usually too much to pass up.

That wasn't the case for Penn State's Olu Fashanu, who will be back in Happy Valley this fall instead of making millions at the pro level.

Widely regarded as the best offensive tackle in the country, Fashanu made the surprising decision to pass on the 2023 NFL draft, instead opting to return for another season with the Nittany Lions.

But, why?

“There were a lot of reasons for why I wanted to come back,” Fashanu recently told Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus. “I wanted to graduate in the summer and start my master’s degree in the fall. Also, it was a great season last year, and I loved how we finished it off by winning the Rose Bowl. But the entire team, not just me, knows we can go a lot farther than the Rose Bowl. We all have bigger aspirations than that.”

Even though he's well aware of his potential at the next level, Fashanu is keeping is focus on the here and now.

“I’m not really thinking about that,” he told Chadwick. “I’m sorry, I’m just being honest. I just want to stay in the moment because I’ve had experiences where I’ve looked too far ahead and it’s backfired. As long as I can keep my grades up and help the team win, I’ll be happy as ever.”

A latecomer to football who grew up preferring the hardwood to the gridiron, Fashanu has an opportunity to polish his game even further this fall, gaining more valuable experience before making the jump to the NFL.

Even so, he's not hurting for confidence.

“Personally, I think I’m the best tackle in the country,” he told Chadwick. “But I think any starting tackle should say that. I’d hope our starting right tackle also thinks he’s the best tackle in college football.”

While this year's draft has a solid group of tackles at the top, led by a pair of Fashanu's fellow Big Ten members (Ohio State's Paris Johnson Jr., Northwestern's Peter Skoronski), Fashanu could have easily taken the No. 1 spot in this year's class.

Instead, he'll likely head into the 2024 NFL draft cycle with the opportunity to be the first non-quarterback off the board, and in the conversation to go No. 1 overall.