As Penn State football prepares for its Week 1 matchup against West Virginia, the Nittany Lions just received a massive blow to its offensive line. On Wednesday night, Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall announced that he was medically retiring from football.
Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall medically retires from football
Landon Tengwall was a four star recruit and the 10th-best offensive tackle in the nation in the class of 2021. After redshirting in his freshman season, Tengwall started the first five games at left guard last year. However, Tengwall was removed from the lineup before the Michigan game, and missed the remainder of the season.
Tengwall was in the mix to return as a starter this year, but was plagued by injuries early in fall camp. Two weeks ago, James Franklin announced that Tengwall was dealing with “bumps and bruises.”
As the Nittany Lions took the field for practice Wednesday night, the Penn State offensive lineman took to social media to announce his unfortunate decision.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing my retirement from football,” Tengwall wrote. “Unfortunately, I have sustained an injury that will not allow me to safely continue to play the game I love and that has given me so much.”
“Penn State will always be my home,” Tengwall continued. “I will always be a proud Penn State football player. Penn State has the greatest fans in the world and I want to thank all of you for supporting me during my time on the field and now in my next chapter.”
The two primary candidates to replace Tengwall at the position would be redshirt junior JB Nelson and redshirt freshman Vega Ioane. Both Nelson and Ioane appeared in four games for Penn State last year.
The Nittany Lions take the field for the first time Saturday night against West Virginia at 7:30 PM in Beaver Stadium.
*Note: This is a breaking news story, and the information included is subject to change.
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