Sports
Q&A: Olu Fashanu

Olu Fashanu likes to figure things out, whether it’s a tendency of a player he must block or a supply chain problem. We caught up with Penn State’s star offensive lineman before the season to talk about his approach on the field and in the classroom. 

Olu Fashanu in uniform on field by Cardoni
By Jeff Rice '03 Com
Photo by CardoniSeptember / October 2023

 

Q: How are you a better offensive lineman now than when you got to Penn State? Who has helped you get there?

FASHANU: As far as who helped me get there, definitely all my teammates, Coach (Phil) Trautwein, Coach (James) Franklin, the whole staff. I like to think it was a collective effort. Everyone just continuously giving me advice, coaching me up, never letting up on me, and I think that in a sense, it gave me that mindset to never be complacent with where you’re at; you can always get better. And I think that me having that mindset has allowed me to gradually improve from the time that I got here to this point.

 

Q: What are some ways you’ve fine-tuned your game as far as technique or how you study film?

FASHANU: I know some people have different ways, but I like to find any small issue in my game, run or pass, that I want to work on. For the spring, it was a consistent focus on run or pass. I wasn’t really attacking one or the other, I just wanted to gradually improve day by day. And as far as film, just getting to watch more film, (watch) more defenses, more defensive lines, to see if I could pick up more tendencies quicker. The biggest thing for me is just staying consistent and never taking a day off.

 

Q: Do you have any football role models or favorite players you’ve admired over the years?

FASHANU: Role models, in terms of football, not really. But I do have favorite players. I watch a lot of Andrew Thomas film. Lane Johnson. I think every offensive tackle probably watches a good amount of Trent Williams. I watch a lot of Penei Sewell … just a good mix. But if I had to choose a favorite, it would be Andrew Thomas.

 

Q: You’re a supply chain major. What about that has appealed to you?

FASHANU: Supply chain has grown in popularity as a major due to COVID and how many issues that almost every company had with their supply chain getting messed up, so there’s a high demand in people who specialize in that field. That intrigued me. Originally when I came into college, I wanted to do cybersecurity, but after my freshman year I wasn’t as interested. I decided to take an entry-level supply chain class and ended up enjoying it a lot more, and with supply chain, it’s very broad in terms of job opportunities.

 

Q: What’s been your favorite class at Penn State?

FASHANU: This one class I just finished, it was a Maymester class, a supply chain class, SCM 450, the professor was Dr. (Felisa) Higgins, and it was by far the best class I’ve ever taken at Penn State. It was a very enjoyable class that challenged me every day to figure out different solutions. It was a really interactive class. I haven’t been engaged in that type of class for a while.

 

Q: What’s your favorite meal?

FASHANU: Depending on who cooks it, I can take down a good rib-eye with some roasted potatoes.

 

Q: Favorite musical artist?

FASHANU: Uhh … I don’t really have one. I listen to a lot of them.

 

Q: What was the last book you read?

FASHANU: The Art of War by Sun Tzu.

 

Q: Do you have any hidden talents?

FASHANU: Not really. I’m ambidextrous. I can do a lot of things with both hands.

 

Q: What will you miss most about Penn State?

FASHANU: Definitely my teammates, especially the class that I was recruited in. We’re all pretty tight and we’ve been through a lot of stuff as a class together.