Penn State’s J’ven Williams receives the bulk of left-tackle repetitions

Apr. 11—Penn State guard Vega Ioane has closely watched former Wyomissing star J’ven Williams the last several weeks and likes what he has seen.

“Me and J’ven have been playing side-by-side all spring,” Ioane said Thursday. “It’s been me and him on that left side (of the offensive line). He comes to work every day and takes every learning aspect that he can. He tries to apply it to the next day.

“I’m really impressed by him.”

The 6-5, 304-pound Williams, the Nittany Lions’ top-rated prospect in their 2023 recruiting class, is receiving most of the repetitions at left tackle this spring because of Drew Shelton’s absence.

The 6-5, 306-pound Shelton, a former Downingtown West standout, has missed the entire spring with an undisclosed arm or shoulder injury. With Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace off to the NFL, Shelton is Penn State’s most experienced offensive tackle.

He’s expected to be fully recovered by the time preseason camp begins in August and be the starting left tackle, succeeding Fashanu, an All-American.

“We know what Drew is,” offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. “I’d love to have him out there getting better. We know what we have with him. We know we have a guy who has started six games in his career, which is really good, and played close to 1,000 snaps.”

Shelton’s absence has allowed Williams to receive a lot of work during spring practice, which culminates with the annual Blue-White Game at 2 p.m. Saturday (TV-Big Ten Network) at Beaver Stadium.

Williams played in just three games last season after an outstanding career at Wyomissing, where he was a two-time all-state selection.

“He’s getting better,” Trautwein said. “He still has a long way to go just because of his pass protection. That’s his weakest point, but he’s getting better. He’s grinding. He’s working. But he still needs more time.

“These…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-states-jven-williams-receives-035900615.html

Author : Reading Eagle, Pa.

Publish date : 2024-04-12 03:59:00

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