No, Olu Fashanu didn’t get injured. It was by design that Penn State’s star left tackle didn’t play much in the Nittany Lions’ 63-7 win over Delaware.

Fashanu, a projected first-round NFL talent, logged only 32 offensive snaps Saturday — ranking eighth among the Nittany Lions offensive linemen.

James Franklin said Tuesday that by pulling Fashanu early, he and his staff were following their pregame plan, one they discussed throughout the week.

“The games are situational. If we can get him out, then we wanted to get him out,” Franklin said. “You look at last week, we wanted to try to get him out as early as we could. And we were able to do that. But the games, it’s all what the games dictate to allow us to win and be successful and allow him to put really good tape out there and show everyone what a phenomenal player he is.”

Franklin went on to call the 6-foot-6 Fashanu “the best offensive lineman in college football,” and he has a point.

This time last year, Fashanu was a relative unknown. But in only eight starts in 2022, he emerged as one of the country’s top prospects.

Fashanu is considered by many as the top offensive lineman available in the 2024 NFL draft. ESPN’s preseason consensus rankings pegged Fashanu as the No. 4 overall prospect behind only USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye.

With that in mind, Penn State has lightened the load on Fashanu whenever possible. Franklin implemented “dramatic modifications” to the preseason All-American’s snap count in the Nittany Lions’ open scrimmage last month.

Days after the scrimmage, Franklin explained why.

“You really don’t make the modifications that we’re making with Olu unless the guy is truly, truly, truly a proven commodity,” Franklin said. “I want to do everything we can to help him become a top-10 pick, which I think he is, in terms of not only a player but a franchise guy with how he goes about his business.”

“The guy wants to be great in everything he does. He wants more reps. He’s fighting us for more reps. So he’s going about it the right way. … I feel really good about the plan we have for him. And he’s one of these guys who’s wired so right that he wouldn’t take it the wrong way. He’ll still maximize the reps he’s getting.”

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