James Franklin opens up on Drew Shelton's approach as non-starter

Penn State offensive tackle Drew Shelton has recently found himself on the outside looking in along the Nittany Lions offensive line. Shelton started off the season as a starting tackle but has since been shuffled about the unit. 

Moving from a starting spot to becoming a non-starter might be difficult for most. And as Penn State prepares for their week seven matchup against UMass, head coach James Franklin opened up on how Shelton is dealing with the new adjustments. 

“Well, first of all, it’s probably a little bit more kind of how you talk about is different than how we talk about it, and hopefully how he sees himself,” said Franklin. “I hope he views himself as a starter, as preparing as a starter. Some guys have the ability; it comes easy for them to flip to either side of the ball. We’ve been getting Kaden some guard work.” 

It is not at all uncommon for a player to be recruited at one position only to be moved to another once joining a program at the collegiate level. And that appears to be what Franklin is doing with Shelton. The sophomore tackle from Downingtown, PA, has seen action at multiple positions across the offensive line. But he does have one quirk, according to Franklin, that has made it challenging for Shelton at times. 

“A lot of times, we like guys if they’re right tackle to stay right guard. He’s actually comfortable at left guard; that’s unusual. Different stance, different footwork. So I think at first, Shelton, that transition goal from the left side to the right side was hard on him. But he’s adjusted really well. I think our coaches and his teammates have a lot of confidence in his ability to do it. He’s approaching it the right way; he’s got bigger and stronger. Last year just over 300 pounds, and this year’s, he’s more in the teens, 312 313 somewhere around there. 

“So he’s doing he’s doing a really nice job, and tackles are hard to find. He was a tackle in the state of Pennsylvania that we were trying to keep home. There’s not a whole lot of tackles in the state of Pennsylvania. When they’re out there, we gotta do everything in our power to keep them home. So there’s a tremendous opportunity at offensive tackle here at Penn State,” said Franklin. 

Shelton was a four-star recruit in the 2022 recruiting class and one of the top 300 recruits in the nation at 131. At his listed position, offensive tackle, he ranked tenth in the nation and was the third highest-ranked recruit from the state of Pennsylvania, according to On3’s Industry Ranking. 

While Shelton may not be a starter at this current juncture in his career at Penn State, come here still young, and there is still plenty of opportunity. And given the way Franklin is handling his situation, it is likely that the young offensive lineman will be well-equipped to handle starting from just about anywhere on the offensive line.