Tag: Vega Ioane

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. 71 Vega Ioane

Snapshot look at interior offensive lineman Vega Ioane heading into the 2023 season

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 [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] this season.

Today, we’re looking at a player from the west coast who came all the way to State College to play college football. [autotag]Vega Ioane[/autotag] is a big interior offensive lineman who redshirted after appearing in a few games last season. Could this be the year he gets on the field more? Here is a snapshot look at Ioane ahead of 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 confirms nine walk-on players added to roster for 2022

Here are Penn State’s newest walk-on players as fall camp opens.

As Penn State opened fall camp on Monday, the Nittany Lions confirmed some roster updates for the upcoming season. In addition to the last two additions from the Class of 2022 now being officially welcomed into the program with defensive end [autotag]Ken Talley[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]Vega Ioane[/autotag] having jersey numbers locked in, Penn State also confirmed the addition of nine walk-on players.

Penn State is adding some bodies to the offensive line depth chart with their walk-ons. Of the nine walk-ons, five play an offensive line position; [autotag]Dominic Rulli[/autotag], [autotag]Jim Fitzgerald[/autotag], [autotag]Ben Hartman[/autotag], [autotag]Matt Detisch[/autotag], and [autotag]Sam Siafa[/autotag].

Penn State has also added a pair of long snappers with [autotag]Blaise Sokach-Minnick[/autotag] and [autotag]Will Patton[/autotag]. [autotag]Chris Stoll[/autotag], Penn State’s senior long snapper, was named to the watch list for the Patrick Mannelly Award on Monday as well. Patton can also play defensive end, providing a little flexibility on the roster if needed.

[autotag]Andrew Sharga[/autotag], a defensive end, and [autotag]Jake Spencer[/autotag], a wide receiver, were also added to the roster as walk-on players.

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Penn State signs consensus top 10 Class of 2022

The recruiting outlets all agree, Penn State signed a top 10 Class of 2022.

After the early signing period expired, every major recruiting service had Penn State ranked with a top 10 recruiting class for the Class of 2022. Now, after the first day of the late signing period has ended, the Nittany Lions remain with a consensus top 10 recruiting class.

Not a whole lot changed with Penn State’s final class ranking, or any other school’s ranking for that matter, since the early signing period. This was to be expected. And although Penn State did pick up an offensive lineman on the first day of the late signing period, it wasn’t the kind of addition to change the entire outlook of what is already highly-regarded as a sizzling recruiting class.

Penn State’s recruiting class is ranked either No. 6 or No. 7 depending on which recruiting outlet you prefer. No matter which recruiting coverage you read or follow, the general reaction is Penn State and head coach James Franklin did a terrific job of amassing some high-quality pieces for its future roster, including running back Nicholas Singleton, quarterback Drew Allar, and defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton.

Penn State adds OL Vega Ioane on national signing day

Penn State rounds out its stellar Class of 2022 with signing day addition of west coast offensive lineman.

Penn State wasn’t expected to make any major splashes on the traditional national signing day, but that doesn’t mean there was nothing to pay attention to. Penn State added one final piece of the puzzle to its stellar Class of 2022 by filling a position of need. Offensive lineman Vega Ioane, from Washington, made his commitment to Penn State official on Wednesday, giving Penn State its fourth commitment for the offensive line in the Class of 2022.

Ioane had been committed to the Washington Huskies, but he recommitted from the Pac-12 school and leading in-state option in mid-December. A month later, Penn State came into serious play with an offer extended in mid-January, two weeks prior to an official visit to Penn State in late January. Ioane officially visited Penn State a week after one last chance checking out the Washington campus, suggesting momentum was swinging in Penn State’s favor.

Ioane, who is rated as a three-star recruit by 247 Sports and Rivals but four stars by On3,  joins a Class of 2022 with three other offensive linemen. Penn State previously added four-star Drew Shelton from Downingtown and three-star Maleek McNeil in the recruiting class. The Nittany Lions also tapped into the Lackawanna Community College pipeline with the addition of JUCO transfer JB Nelson.

Penn State is also off to a great start recruiting offensive linemen in the Class of 2023, which is a good thing. Arguably Penn State’s biggest weakness in 2021 was the performance and stability of the offensive line.

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Could Penn State get a late surprise on signing day?

Could Penn State get a nice surprise to help the offensive line on national signing day?

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The college football recruiting news is about to start flying once again with the traditional signing period ready to put the finishing touches on the Class of 2022. And if Penn State gets a little luck, they may be able to add some late help to the offensive line.

Penn State is not expected to make much of any noise on the traditional national signing day, but there is a recruit to keep an eye on out on the west coast, just in case. Vega Ioane, a three-star interior offensive lineman from Graham, Washington is scheduled to make his decision on signing day. And according to his 247Sports profile, Penn State is one of four schools Ioane has “warm” interest in as he approaches his announcement.

The crystal ball predictions, however, suggest it would be a stunner if Penn State manages to receive Ioane’s commitment on Wednesday. The Washington Huskies are the runaway favorite with 100% of the current crystal ball predictions on the record. And, truthfully, that feels about right. Although, Ioane did decommit from Washington in mid-December.

But it is worth noting that Ioane made a late visit to Penn State’s campus this past weekend, marking his final official visit on his recruiting process. Ioane visited Washington the previous week and previously visited Minnesota in mid-December.

Penn State was late to the party in extending an offer to Ioane, doing so in mid-January, just two weeks before his official visit to Happy Valley.

Maybe this will all prove to be too little too late for Penn State, but Ioane would help fill an immediate need on the roster the Class of 2022 didn’t necessarily address deeply. The offensive line is getting some help on the way in the Class of 2023 and Class of 2024, but the Class of 2022 focused on many other positions more than the offensive line. Ioane may not be a blue-chipper that tips the scales of the Big Ten entirely in Penn State’s favor, but his commitment would certainly be a nice way to round out the already impressive Class of 2022.

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