Tag: Sal Wormley

Penn State player apologizes to fans after big loss to Ohio State

Here is what one Penn State veteran said to fans after a disappointing loss.

It was a frustrating afternoon of college football in Happy Valley as Penn State took its first loss of the season. Pouring salt on the wounds was the loss coming against a team that has dominated them over the years, Ohio State. Head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] addressed some of the critical moments of the loss to the Buckeyes, and many players echoed the coach’s statements regarding self-reflection and learning to correct the mistakes from this game before turning the page to the next game.

But one player, offensive lineman [autotag]Sal Wormely[/autotag], sent a message to Penn State fans who packed Beaver Stadium in record fashion and left disappointed.

“I mean, we apologize sincerely. You know, we’re supposed to show off for you all; big game, big day,” Wormley said in his postgame comments with the media. “You all are always there for us when we’re winning. I know you all are hurting that we lost.”

Wormley went on to say he hopes the fans come back out for the remainder of the season, beginning with next week’s home game against Washington.

“We’re going to come back next week and hope that they’re still there to support us,” Wormely said.

Penn State still has a lot to play for this season with the expanded College Football Playoff. Penn State will still have an excellent chance to be in the playoff with an 11-1 record if it can win out the rest of the schedule. The first step in that goal will be next week’s home game with Washington, one of the Big Ten’s new members this season.

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13 Penn State players appear on Senior Bowl watch list for 2024

A large number of Penn State players are on this year’s Senior Bowl watch list.

Penn State has historically been productive when it comes to manufacturing talent for the next level in the NFL, and this year’s roster is not short on potential NFL talent. One of the highlights of the draft cycle is the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, which invites the nation’s top seniors to participate in one of the premier scouting events outside of the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. An invite to the Senior Bowl is cherished and must be earned, and is a sign of the respect the NFL draft and scouting community holds for a player. It is a great tryout in front of the NFL world and can dramatically impact a player’s draft stock.

The Senior Bowl released its watch list of players for the upcoming season, and Penn State was well represented with players that could eventually be invited to participate in the top senior all-star game leading up to the NFL draft.

The full list of Penn State players appearing on the watch list includes:

  • [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag], QB
  • [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag], DL
  • [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag], WR
  • [autotag]Kobe King[/autotag], LB
  • [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Jaylen Reed[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag], RB
  • [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag], TE
  • [autotag]Kevin Winston Jr.[/autotag], DB
  • [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag], OL
  • [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag], OL

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Sal Wormley named to 2024 Outland Trophy watch list

Penn State offensive lineman Sal Wormely looking to win school’s second Outland Trophy.

College football’s award watch list season is in full swing this week, and a number of Penn State players are having their names thrown on the national radar as a result. On Tuesday, the Outland Trophy watch list was released by the Football Writers Association of America, and offensive lineman Sal Wormley was included.

The Outland Trophy is awarded to the nation’s top interior lineman and can go to an offensive or defensive player. The award is named after John Outland, a former All-American at two positions who played college football for Penn and Kansas in the late 1890s. The award was first presented in 1946 to Notre Dame tackle George Connor.

Wormley is looking to become just the second Penn State player to win the award. The only other Nittany Lion to win the Outland Trophy in its history is Mike Reid, who did so in 1969. Wormley started all 13 games for the Nittany Lions last season, starting every game at right guard. He is expected to remain at right guard this season. T’Vondre Seat of Texas was last season’s Outland Trophy winner.

For more on Sal Wormley, check out our 2024 player profile for Wormley.

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Olu Fashanu named Big Ten offensive lineman of the year

The return of Olu Fashanu paid off for Penn State in 2023. Now he’s adding some hardware to his collection.

When offensive lineman [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] announced he would be returning for another year at Penn State, it was a bit of a shock. Expected to be a potential first-round draft pick had he declared for the 2023 NFL draft, Fashanu gambled on a return for one more season of college football before turning pro. It seems that gamble has been paying off quite nicely.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced Fashanu had been named the Rimington-Pace Offensive Lineman of the Year. He was also a consensus first-team All-Big Ten player according to Big Ten coaches and media.

Fashanu is the second Penn State player to win the Big Ten’s top offensive lineman award. [autotag]A.Q. Shipley[/autotag] received the award in 2008. Fashanu remains a clear first-round draft pick prospect, and he could be one of the earlier picks in the draft after his performance this season.

Here is a look at how the Big Ten coaches voted for the conference’s top players on the football field in 2023. Penn State was well-represented across the board this year.

All-Big Ten selections by Big Ten coaches

  • OT Olu Fashanu (first-team)
  • DE [autotag]Chop Robinson[/autotag] (first team)
  • LB [autotag]Abdul Carter[/autotag] (first team)
  • DE [autotag]Adisa Isaac[/autotag] (second team)
  • RB [autotag]Kaytron Allen[/autotag] (second team offense, honorable mention special teams)
  • DB [autotag]Kalen King[/autotag] (second team)
  • C [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag] (second team)
  • DL [autotag]Dani Dennis-Sutton[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Johnny Dixon[/autotag] (third team)
  • DB [autotag]Daequan Hardy[/autotag] (third team defense; second team special teams)
  • RB [autotag]Nick Singleton[/autotag] (third team)
  • TE [autotag]Tyler Warren[/autotag] (third team)
  • K [autotag]Alex Felkins[/autotag] (third team)
  • OL [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • OL [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • TE [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • WR [autotag]KeAndre Lambert-Smith[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • QB [autotag]Drew Allar[/autotag] (honorable mention)
  • P [autotag]Riley Thompson[/autotag] (honorable mention)

 

What will Penn State’s offensive line look like following retirement of Landon Tengwall?

Penn State’s offensive line took a hit with Landon Tengwall’s retirement, but it still looks to be a strength in 2023.

One of the biggest strengths Penn State had to look forward to entering the 2023 season was the offensive line. In the 10 years with James Franklin as the head coach, this is expected to be the best offensive line the program has had after years of rebuilding the quality depth for the line through recruiting efforts and continued development. That outlook took a little bit of a hit just days before the start of the regular season with the news of the sudden retirement of Landon Tengwall.

Tengwall announced his retirement from playing football due to a result of an injury he described as one that would prevent him from continuing to play safely. Tengwall was projected by many to be a starter at left guard alongside returning starting left tackle [autotag]Olu Fashanu[/autotag] and center [autotag]Hunter Nourzad[/autotag]. Now, a new opportunity to start is up for grabs.

Who will start at left guard now?

The most likely name to move into a starting role will be [autotag]JB Nelson[/autotag]. Nelson is a redshirt junior and one of the many players to come through the Penn State program as a JUCO transfer from Lackawanna College in Scranton. Penn State has had success with their Lackawanna College transfer additions with players like Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown on the defensive side of the football. Nelson has been praised for his development and was expected to be the first name on the depth chart behind Tengwall. Moving him into a starting role seems like the most natural move for James Franklin and offensive line coach [autotag]Phil Trautwein[/autotag].

Franklin’s comments in his Wednesday post-practice media availability suggested fans should see Nelson getting the starting nod this Saturday as the Nittany Lions host West Virginia in the season opener.

If Nelson is going to be the new starting left guard, the entire offensive line is still looking to be in good shape across the line. Here’s how it may look:

  • LT Olu Fashanu
  • LG JB Nelson
  • C Hunter Nourzad
  • RG [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag]
  • RT [autotag]Caedan Wallace[/autotag]

By moving Nelson up to the starting job, Penn State will be slightly more vulnerable with guard depth. [autotag]Vega Ioane[/autotag] is the top backup as a redshirt freshman, but Penn State did just add [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] in the Class of 2023. Birchmeier was among the top offensive line recruits in the class and is expected to be a big piece of the future offensive line. Whether he is ready to be a top backup option at the start of the season remains to be seen.

Penn State also added [autotag]Anthony Donkoh[/autotag] in the Class of 2023, and he would be another backup option at guard if needed. With Tengwall retiring and Nelson likely moving into the starting job, Donkoh’s position on the depth chart may have been boosted up faster than Birchmeier as he has been working the left guard position since his arrival (Birchmeier has played on the right side).

Penn State still has what appears to be the best offensive line of Franklin’s career despite losing Tengwall. And the efforts on the recruiting trail in recent years have ensured the Nittany Lions have quality backup options in play, even if a couple are considered raw and untested to start the season.

Penn State opens the 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 with a primetime matchup on NBC against West Virginia.

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2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 77 Sal Wormley

Sal Wormley returns to right guard for what may be Penn State’s best OL under James Franklin.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is a look at one of Penn State’s returning starters on the offensive line, [autotag]Sal Wormley[/autotag]. Wormley helps solidify Penn State’s offensive outlook, which looks to be the most optimistic it has in years. The redshirt senior should help protect sophomore starting quarterback Drew Allar and allow the running game to thrive once again this fall. Here is a snapshot look at Sal Wormley heading into the 2023 season.

2022 Penn State football: Nittany Lions’ offensive line preview

Here’s a look at the offensive line depth for Penn State heading into the 2022 season.

Penn State has lost a couple of more veteran players on the offensive line leaving them with a more young and promising group. With just three seniors listed on the roster, a lot of young talent is going to be asked to grow up very quickly.

[autotag]Olumuyiwa Fashanu,[/autotag] who will be protecting the blindside of [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], has a chance to become a keystone on this offensive line. The Maryland native has the size and speed at the tackle spot to really turn into something special this coming season.

Outside of Fashanu, there are a bunch of guys looking to earn their keep. Getting to know the vast depth of names on that young line may seem daunting but this list should help sort things out. A lot of these faces are going to be ones fans will see for the next two to three years.

Penn State traveled to Wisconsin without a couple of key players

Running back John Lovett and safety Keaton Ellis among the Penn State players who did not travel with the team to Wisconsin

Penn State football is back with the long-awaited season opener today in Madison, Wisconsin against the Wisconsin Badgers. But the season will start later for a small handful of Nittany Lions players who did make the trip for undisclosed reasons.

Running back John Lovett and safety Keaton Ellis are among the players who did not make the trip to the Big Ten and season opener, according to Joe Juliano of The Philadelphia Inquirer, via Twitter. Both are expected to be key players to keep an eye on this season, so their absence from the first game of the season is noteworthy.

In addition to the absence of Lovett and Ellis, Penn State also did not bring defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon and offensive lineman Sal Wormley with them to the game.

Penn State does not typically share injury information, and it is unlikely James Franklin will shed much insight on why these players did not make the trip.