Penn State Football: projecting the depth chart for the offense in 2022

Penn State Football offensive line

The biggest question mark for the Nittany Lions is the offensive line, and they return just two of five starters from a year ago. Typically, that would be seen as a negative, but seeing as though Penn State had one of the worst offensive lines in the Big Ten in 2021, it could be a good thing to get some fresh faces in there.

The two returning starters are Juice Scruggs and Caedan Wallace. Scruggs figures to move over from right guard to center, while Wallace will likely remain at right tackle.

On the left side of the line, it seems quite clear that Olu Fashanu will start at tackle and Landon Tengwall at guard, as that was the combination that was used for a chunk of the Outback Bowl and ran with the starters in the spring scrimmage.

Right guard will be the only true competition as far as the starting lineup is concerned, as a battle between Sal Wormley and Hunter Nourzad will determine who will be the final piece to the puzzle. With Nourzad just getting to campus in May, as well as having to make the transition from tackle to guard, Wormley should be looked at as the current frontrunner to win that job.

Backups are certainly important as well, so the position battles for many of those spots will be interesting to watch unfold.

Projected depth chart:

Left Tackle

1. Olu Fashanu

2. Landon Tengwall*

Left Guard

1. Landon Tengwall

2. JB Nelson

Center

1. Juice Scruggs

2. Nick Dawkins

Right Guard

1. Sal Wormley

2. Hunter Nourzad

Right tackle

1. Caedan Wallace

2. Jimmy Christ

* – without many true offensive tackles on the roster, Landon Tengwall would likely be the primary option to slide over in place of Olu Fashanu in the event of an injury. After that, next in line at tackle could be true freshman Drew Shelton, and Golden Israel-Achumba would likely become JB Nelson’s backup at left guard.