Trautwein: Drew Shelton ‘taking every rep’ in Penn State football camp after offseason injury

Heading into his third season on campus and his first as the top tackle for Penn State football along the offensive front, Drew Shelton is back from injury and a full participant through the early portions of training camp, says Nittany Lions offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.

Shelton missed spring practice due to offseason surgery this winter. Appearing in 20 games through his first two years in Happy Valley, the former four-star prospect is expected to fill the shoes of first-round NFL Draft pick Olu Fashanu.

Entering his first full season as a starter, the junior tackle already has much more experience than Fashanu did at this point in his career.

“Drew played a lot of ball already,” Phil Trautwein said Saturday at Penn State football media day. “You know, I know he’s going into his third year, and he started as a true freshman, and I don’t know how many plays he played. But he started five games, so I’m guessing he probably played in the 600s. And then last year, he played in the 400-500s. So, he already has close to 1,000 reps of true live game reps, which there’s not a lot of guys going into their third year that do that. Olu didn’t. Olu, I don’t think, had more than probably 200.

“So you look at that, you’re like, ‘Okay, he’s fine, you know, missing the spring.’ But he’s taking every rep right now. He’s getting ready; he’s motivated. He’s knocking the rust off, and he’s had a great mindset all summer to work and to make sure that he is ready. So I’m excited about what he’s about to do in 28 days from now.”

Training camp is going to be vital for projected Nittany Lions starter

Earlier this summer, James Franklin highlighted the importance of this month-long camp period for Drew Shelton.

“I think he’s just at the point [where he’s] super mature,” Franklin said in June. “I think he handled his time out physically the right way. Been a really good coach and mentor to some of the younger players. I think we talked about it this morning; he’s fully cleared now. He was pretty much doing everything [this spring]. But, he had a few limitations, like in the weight room. But, he is fully cleared now. And he’s really in a good position.

“He probably needs to put on a few pounds like we’ve talked about, but besides that, he’s a super mature kid, very conscientious, very intelligent. And obviously, he’s played well when he’s been in there, all the way back to as a true freshman. So we’re expecting him to have a good year. But, this summer is going to be important for him, and training camp will be important for him because he missed all of spring.”

Shelton owes his “mindset” to former Penn State center Juice Scruggs

Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

While he is looking to fill Olu Fashanu’s role along the offensive line, Fashanu isn’t the only role model for Drew Shelton. According to Phil Trautwein, Shelton’s biggest influence was former Nittany Lions and current Houston Texans center Juice Scruggs.

“I think everybody just watching Olu is all motivation for them because they all want to be a first-rounder,” Trautwein said. “But really, I can tell you, like, Juice was the guy that probably put him under his wing when he was a freshman. That’s the guy that kind of helped him understand preparation and your body…They kind of look alike a little bit, so a lot of people would sometimes mix that up. They call him [Shelton] little bro; that was Juice’s little bro.

“I would say that Juice was probably the one, at least in the room. Now, as a tackle, it was probably Olu every single day, like talking about technique. But as a mindset and the guy that came in and started as a true freshman, I would say Juice was probably that guy that got him to understand what he really has to do to play here.”

Penn State football kicks off the 2024 season on the road against West Virginia on August 31.

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