James Franklin: Olu Fashanu Game-Time Decision, Keyvone Lee Available for Rose Bowl

Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu will be a game-time decision for the Penn State’s matchup against Utah, coach James Franklin said during his Rose Bowl press conference on Sunday. He also said that running back Keyvone Lee will be available for the game.

Fashanu suffered an apparent injury during the team’s loss to Ohio State and was deemed “week-to-week” following the game.

Franklin added that Fashanu didn’t want to rush his return to the field from injury and jeopardize his future availability. Despite being a potential top-10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Waldorf, Maryland native announced that he will return to Happy Valley for the 2023 season.

If Fashanu can’t play, Penn State is more than ready to have true freshman Drew Shelton fill in for him at left tackle. Shelton took over that position during Fashanu’s absence and did exceptionally well, helping Penn State gain 400 total yards of offense in each game, including a game against Maryland where the offensive line did not allow a sack.

Meanwhile, Keyvone Lee will potentially make his return to the gridiron for the first time since Penn State’s loss to Michigan in October. He has been injury-riddled since suffering an injury at Auburn four weeks prior.

“We’ll see how that rotation will go,” Franklin said in his press conference Sunday morning. “Those two running backs obviously have played and played really well, but having Keyvone available really important. He’s practiced extremely well, so that’s been great.”

Penn State will kick off the 2023 Rose Bowl against Utah at 5 p.m. EST on Monday.