UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Olu Fashanu became sort of an overnight success story last season, going from first-time starter to budding superstar seemingly out of nowhere.
That's one way to look at it, anyway.
The other way is to remember that Fashanu came to Penn State as only a 3-star recruit and spent his first two years in the program working hard to turn himself into that overnight success.
"I just became a starter last year, my junior year," Fashanu said.
"Everyone's path is different," he added. "You just have to trust it and embrace it, and eventually your time will come."
Fashanu's time at Penn State will be remembered extremely fondly. The left tackle is one of only 41 players in program history to earn consensus All-America honors, getting that distinction this season.
When we think about recent Penn State history -- say, since 2000 -- one can make a very strong case that Fashanu belongs in the discussion for the best player to come through Penn State. He may not be as popular of a choice as Saquon Barkley or Micah Parsons or even Trace McSorley, but when it comes to college success and NFL potential, Fashanu is indeed right there.
He has left quite a lasting legacy at Penn State. So, what does he think of that legacy?
"I mean, obviously I'm proud," Fashanu said. "I'm really just thankful for the people in my environment -- Coach Traut (Phil Trautwein), Coach (James) Franklin, the offense and the O-line room.
"It's been through a lot of hard work and a lot of time spent on developing myself and my craft. But I give them all the credit in the world. They never gave up on me. Obviously, I took some more time to develop than most others."
It's that last part that's perhaps most interesting about Fashanu. Why did, in his own words, it take him a while to develop? By the time we got to see him in action for the first time as a starter last year, he was clearly extremely skilled and well suited for the challenge of being a standout left tackle.
Some offensive linemen are ready to play big roles early in their careers, while some need a little extra time. What did he have to learn from the time he arrived on campus a few years ago until his breakthrough last year?
"That's something that a lot of people don't really understand is that everyone has a different timeline," Fashanu said. "As a freshman, I wasn't as talented as someone like Drew Shelton, who started five games as a true freshman. That's big time.
"When I was a freshman, I was in no way prepared to start five games -- mentally and physically. I wasn't in the right mindset, in shape. But everyone's timeline is different.
"I know it sounds corny, but at the end of the day, you just need to trust your own process. Everyone's story is different, everyone's path is different."
Fashanu's path at this time a year ago seemed to have him heading to the NFL as a potential top 10 draft pick. He would have made millions of dollars. Tens of millions. But he stunned everyone by announcing he would return to Penn State for another year -- which was viewed by many as a risk.
But Fashanu felt he wasn't ready for the pros yet, and he had the big goal remaining of graduating.
"For me, there's no regrets coming back," he said. "Obviously, a big part of it was to graduate, but another part was just another opportunity to compete with all my brothers. So, for me to get another year with all my guys, it's been great."
Of course, it hasn't only been great for Fashanu to play football one more year at Penn State. Over the past month, he's enjoyed all the rewads that have come with that, from the All-America honors to being a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, the so-called Academic Heisman.
"It's definitely been a great three weeks," Fashanu said of the awards circuit. "Definitely the highlight was going to Vegas (for the Campbell ceremony). "I've never been there, so it was definitely a really nice opportunity, something I'm never gonna forget."
There was some risk involved in Fashanu returning to college for another year. There was the injury possibility, first and foremost, then also the chance that he could have struggled on the field and hurt his draft stock.
None of that happened.
Instead, Fashanu played even better than many expected, on his way to becoming a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
“Olu's a pro in the fact that some guys, when they get all this hype, or they get all this recognition, they start to push back, or they start to say, 'Oh, I'm good.' They feel satisfied, or they just don't work as hard, right?" Trautwein said early in the season.
"But Olu's the opposite. He's hungry every single day, no matter what people say about him, good or bad, he doesn't care. He just wants to become great. And when you have that mindset, all that other stuff doesn't really matter. He just wants to go and just be great and to work hard and work on his fundamentals. There's things on his game that he knows that he needs to get better, and he wants to just become the best.
Fashanu already has declared for the NFL Draft, where he's almost certain to be a top 10 pick and perhaps even top five. But rather than opting out of the Peach Bowl altogether to protect his health, he is down in Atlanta going through practices, and all indications are that he will play in the game, at least some anyway.
"We're extremely excited to go to the Peach Bowl," Fashanu said. "Penn State's never played in the Peach Bowl, so for us to have that opportunity to go down to Atlanta and compete against a good Ole Miss team is definitely a great opportunity."
