UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh checked his phone prior to the first start of his collegiate career against West Virginia and found multiple text messages from two former teammates he considers mentors.
Former Nittany Lions Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace both reached out to Donkoh understanding the nerves associated with starting in a signature game. Donkoh said they offered words of encouragement and helped him prepare and perform in a proper headspace.
Donkoh dominated at Wallace’s former position of right tackle against the Mountaineers and used many of the same techniques that the current New England Patriot taught him. Donkoh said he spent hours with Fashanu and Wallace in the film room, on the practice field and shared how their teachings have paid dividends in his development.
“He was a big inspiration for me,” Donkoh said of Wallace. “Because Olu was on the left and Caedan was on the right, Caedan knew a lot more on the right side and he was a really big help letting me know how to shift my weight, how to balance my weight, how to step, how to set. He’s a great dude, an amazing person. I love him a lot and he was a big influence on me.”
Donkoh’s season debut came in front of his mom, dad, two brothers and sister at Milan Puskar Stadium and said it meant a great deal to play in front of them. It was also his mom, Antoinette, and brothers, Andrew and Athan, with whom he made visits to Penn State with.
Head coach James Franklin noted how Donkoh attended six football camps hosted by the Nittany Lions and made his commitment to Penn State before ascending up the national rankings where he ranked as the 18th-best interior lineman in the class of 2023 by 247Sports.
Franklin said that everyone within the program including offensive line coach Phil Trautwein is “real high on Anthony” and excited with how he can develop. Franklin called Donkoh “a conscientious young man” and a player who is “extremely intelligent from a football IQ standpoint and in the classroom.”
“He's got a workman-like approach and just continues to get better,” Franklin said. “[Donkoh] played really well in the bowl game which gave us some excitement about what his future could be. We thought he went out and played really well in week one. Can't have enough guys that are 6-5 plus and 330 pounds and can move like him. The consistency and the intelligence he has, he's another guy that I think is just going to get better and better as the year goes on.”
Franklin also called Donkoh “very, very athletic” which plays into the hands of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and the wide array of schemes the offense can utilize during the course of a game.
Donkoh’s length and tenacity at 6-foot-5, 330-pounds gives Penn State the ability to attack the right side of the field as his mobility in the run game can be game-changing. The Aldie, Virginia product said he’s working on bending his hips in pass protection scenarios and keeping his body positionally strong so he can strike with his extensive reach.
Donkoh has already thrived in the system implemented by Franklin, Kotelnicki, the offensive staff and said it’s “amazing” to play in a system where the offensive linemen are viewed as multi-dimensional.
“It’s not scheme-focused, it’s personnel-focused too,” Donkoh said. “I love how [Kotelnicki] wants to move us tackles into space like you saw Vega [Ioane] in space, in the slot, coming out and going to crack somebody off the edge. The way he utilizes everybody is amazing.”
Donkoh is now trying to replicate and enhance the sense of offensive line brotherhood Wallace and Fashanu worked to develop during their tenures in Happy Valley. Donkoh said it’s development during difficult drills in practice and off the field where the group is attached at the hip.
Donkoh discussed how the times together away from the field helps during games and brings a level of cohesiveness that’s essential when understanding cadences or shifts. Donkoh knows there’s a standard to uphold and said how the group in the trenches is playing well and enjoying each other.
“I would say that this group of offensive lineman, we’re the tightest we've been,” Donkoh said. “Even from last year, I've seen a significant improvement. We try to do a lot of things together, we try going out together… Especially in the summer, we were hanging out at one of the collectives on campus and we were playing beach volleyball and going to the pool and it really shows we're tight knit.”