Penn State's Olu Fashanu to Return for Senior Season, Opts Against 2023 NFL Draft

One of this year's top NFL draft prospects reportedly will not turn pro in 2023.

According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu will not enter the NFL draft and instead will return to return to school for his senior season. In B/R's NFL draft big board, Fashanu was ranked as the top offensive lineman and No. 12 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

Per Thamel, Fashanu said he has "unfinished business" and hopes to help lead Penn State to a Big Ten championship as well as a national championship next year.

Fashanu, who will earn a degree in supply chain management next year and intends to pursue a master's, also named his relationships with offensive line coach Phil Trautwein and head coach James Franklin as factors in his decision to return.

"We couldn't be more excited to have Olu return for the 2023 season," Franklin said. "He is a person of high character who exemplifies our core values, leads by example and models what it means to be a complete Penn State student-athlete. We will continue to work extremely hard to help Olu achieve all of his goals on and off the field and look forward to another season with him and his family in Happy Valley."

Fashanu is only 19 years old and in his first season as a full-time starter, but he already has wowed pro scouts by anchoring an offensive line that helped the Nittany Lions achieve a 10-2 record. The 6'6", 308-pound redshirt sophomore is a Waldorf, Maryland, native and played at Gonzaga College High School.

In B/R's most recent mock draft, Fashanu was projected as the No. 6 pick by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was tabbed as "the complete package when it comes to the physical tools necessary to excel as an NFL offensive tackle."

With a year of polish, Fashanu could emerge as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 draft class.