Penn State football: Freshman OL generating buzz ahead of Blue-White Game

Many of the spring storylines for Penn State football will come to a head this weekend at Saturday’s Blue-White Game. We’ll catch our first glimpse at many Nittany Lions suiting up in the Blue and White for the first time — like transfer receiver Julian Fleming and freshman running back Quinton Martin — as well as those we will not see, like injured quarterback Jaxon Smolik. But one of the most critical developments coming out of the spring for James Franklin and Penn State is the emerging position battles along the offensive front. In recent weeks, freshman lineman Anthony Donkoh has started to turn heads and garner high praise from around the locker room heading into the summer.

Anthony Donkoh generating buzz ahead of Blue-White Game

Anthony Donkoh was a four-star offensive lineman in the class of 2023. The Virginia native was ranked as the No. 16 interior offensive lineman and the ninth-best player in the state, according to 247Sports. Donkoh chose James Franklin and the Nittany Lions over the likes of Virginia Tech, Duke, and West Virginia. 

The 6-5, 328-pound freshman only appeared in two games during his redshirt season last fall. But Donkoh made an impact, switching from guard to tackle for Penn State football in December’s Peach Bowl against Ole Miss. Now, Anthony Donkoh is turning heads and pushing for a starting role in his second year on campus.

“Getting back to the offensive line and who I’m really excited about, I have a no-brainer, and the answer is Anthony Donkoh,” former Nittany Lion Landon Tengwall said on the Lions247 podcast earlier this offseason. “He is an extremely talented, strong kid.

“I’ll never forget, he came in right away, was already benching like 405 [pounds] as a freshman. Just unreal strength. And that’s with like Olu Fashanu-like arms, like long arms… I’m really excited to see what he can continue to do.”

Transfer offensive lineman Nolan Rucci has spoken highly of his new teammate this spring, as well. Rucci recently noted that he’s had to “step up his game” this spring due to Donkoh’s play on the offensive front. Other linemen have taken notice, as well.

Vega Ioane said Anthony Donkoh and Cooper Cousins have been the young offensive linemen who've impressed him the most so far pic.twitter.com/EO0cPyWjxe

— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) April 11, 2024

Donkoh is also causing problems for Nittany Lion defenders across the trenches. “Anthony Donkoh played really good for us last year, especially towards the end of the season,” former-five star defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton said of standout players from the spring this week.

Position battle heating up along the Penn State front

The emergence of freshman Anthony Donkoh is significant for Penn State football heading into 2024. With Tengwall’s medical retirement last summer and the departures of Fashanu, Caeden Wallace, and Hunter Nourzad to the NFL, there’s a window of opportunity for new faces along the offensive front.

However, the offensive line does return a good amount of experience. Sal Wormley, Vega Ioane, and Drew Shelton all played roles on last year’s offensive line. Rucci’s addition now brings even more talent and experience to the room.

In addition, young linemen such as Anthony Donkoh, J’ven Williams, and Alex Birchmeier were all coveted prospects who redshirted last season. All these young Nittany Lions will have a chance to make an impact along the line in 2024, but the momentum and buzz at tackle appears to be on Donkoh’s side coming out of spring. While Saturday’s Blue-White Game may help clarify the picture some, the real separation will be made in fall camp.

“That [offensive tackle] will be, I think, a pretty heated battle, competition in training camp,” James Franklin said last week. “I think we’ll have a really competitive battle at both left tackle and right tackle in training camp.”

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