Penn State hashigh expectations for the 2024 college football seasonfollowing another 10-win regular seasoncampaign last fall. The Nittany Lions areprojected as a fringe top-10 team in earlynational preseason rankings, withBig Ten championship aspirationsanda debut College Football Playoff appearancein focus.
PSU opens its 2024 game scheduleAug. 31 at West Virginiaina rematch of the Nittany Lions' 2023 opener win. In the meantime, our Countdown to Kickoff series will feature players whose uniform numbers correspond with that number of days remaining until that matchup. Now at74 days, we focus on rising Nittany Lions offensive lineman and former five-star recruit J'ven Williams.
THE BASICS
Position:Offensivetackle
Class:Redshirt freshman
Size:6-5,312 pounds
High School: Wyomissing (Pa.)
PATH TO PENN STATE
Penn State's top-rated 2023 signee,J'ven Williamswas a senior riser in247Sports recruit rankings, securing five-star status and the No. 24 overall spot (No. 4 among offensive tackles). He ledall Pennsylvania prospects on that rundown and was a multi-sport sensation atWyomissing.
As a junior, Williams earnedPIAA Class 2A championships in discus and shot put.He established a new state record with that shot put, which neared66 feet, 8 inches.Early enrollment at Penn State required Williams toskip his senior spring track season.
On the football field as a senior, Williams turned in a dominant campaign as Wyomissing finished 13-1 with a state semifinal run.Hewas a force while predominately playing guard, thriving as a pulling blocker andopening holes with authoritywhile leading his running backs downfield.
Named a Pennsylvania Class 3A all-state selection after each of his last two high school seasons, Williams also worked at tackle in 2022, though it was less of a positional split than he experienced as a junior. He discussed both roles with the Nittany Lions staff, but ultimately launched his college career at offensive tackle.
Williams enrolled in January 2023. He was one of four blue-chip freshmen additions on the offensive front, alongside guardAlex Birchmeier,and tacklesAnthony Donkoh andChimdy Onoh.
HAPPY VALLEY HIGHLIGHTS
Like each freshman offensive lineman, Williams took a redshirt in 2023. He entered three contests, handling 49 total offensive snaps while working at left tackle late against Delaware, Iowa and Michigan State. More than half of those snaps (25) occurred during a Week 2 blowout win over the Blue Hens.
"I've definitely had an awesome opportunity to learn from guys likeOlu FashanuandDrew Shelton, and I'm locker neighbors withCaedan Wallace," Williams said last fall whilespeaking with Penn State's in-house media."So I'm able to pick their brains every day. They've been teaching me work ethic, being humble and just keep on working. Those guys have given me a lot of pointers (about) just staying on the right path."
That aforementioned veteran trio dominated 2023 snaps at tackle. Fashanu was locked in on the left side en route to All-American honors, while Wallace was a fourth-year starter on the right and Shelton was the next man up at both positions. Shelton started in the Peach Bowl with Fashanu focused on NFL draft opportunities.
Although he is listed at 6-foot-5, 304 pounds on Penn State's official roster, Williams isup to approximately 312 pounds ahead of his second preseason camp, according to offensive line coach Phil Trautwein.
"He's still getting better every day, and just keeps working," Trautwein said. "He's continued to gain weight. He's working on his pass pro, because he came from a (high school) offense that ran the triple option and didn't pass much. So we're working on that."
2024 OUTLOOK
Fashanu left town as a first-round draft pick, while Wallace followed him off the board in Round 3, leaving voids at both tackle spots. Meanwhile, Sheltonspent 2024 spring practices sidelined by unspecified injury recovery.
Thus, a ton of work awaited Williams at tackle in March and April. Trautwein estimated he neared 600 practice snaps this spring.
"He got a lot of reps, which he needed — the reps that he didn't get in high school when we talk about pass pro," Trautwein said. "We have really good D-ends, so going against them every single day got him better. Those reps were great for him."
Shelton is now "fully cleared" for a return to on-field action, setting the stage for a competitive August. The junioris by far Penn State's most experienced offensive tackle, owning six starts and coming off a 2023 campaign in which he neared 400 total snaps.
Despite Shelton's presence, Williams will get his shot at the job.
"J'ven has played well enough in practice that he should get time, too," Penn State head coach James Franklin said last week. "We'd like to be able to get him some legitimate reps, as long as things sit the way they are now. It could become even more competitive in training camp and become more of a split. But J'ven has done enough that we need to get him some experience as well."
Williams projects as a two-deep piece, at least, and it wouldn't shock if the Nittany Lions consider a rotational approach at left tackle early this season. He carries college eligibility through 2027.
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Previous Numbers
75 - Eric Shrive
76 - Steve Smear
77 - Sal Wormley
78 - Mike Munchak79 - Addison Penn
80 - Mehki Flowers
81 - Kyle Brady
82 - Kenny Jackson83 - Joe Jurevicius84 - Peter Gonzalez85 - Luke Reynolds86 - Brenton Stange
87 - Andrew Rappleyea88 -Jerry Cross89 -Dave Robinson90 -Liam Andrews91 -Dvon Ellies and Chase Meyer92 -Smith Vilbert93 -Sander Sahaydak94 -Ryan Barker and De'Andre Cook95 -Jordan Mayer and Riley Thompson96 -Immanuel Iyke97 -T.A. Cunningham98 -Jordan Stout99 -Coziah Izzard100-Meet the Penn State transfer class
