Penn State offensive lineman Landon Tengwall announced Wednesday on social media that he is retiring from football because of an injury. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Tengwall said he “sustained an injury that will not allow me to safely continue to play the game I love.”
  • The third-year player was expected to start at left guard this season. He started five games last year before being sidelined by an injury.
  • A four-star recruit from Olney, Md., Tengwall was Penn State’s highest-ranked signee in the Class of 2021.

— LandonTengwall (@landon_tengwall) August 30, 2023

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

What’s next for Penn State without Tengwall?

Tengwall hadn’t been on the field during recent media practice viewing windows. The last time I saw him out there was one of the first workouts. Look for JB Nelson, a 2022 transfer from Lackawanna College, to slot in as the new starter at left guard. Vega Ioane would then likely be the backup to Nelson. Anthony Donkoh, a true freshman, is likely to crack the three-deep.

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Nelson played in four games last season with a total of 121 offensive snaps, per TruMedia. He received additional reps this preseason without Tengwall, and he’s someone Penn State’s coaches say they have a lot of confidence in.

“We went into this year feeling like JB was going to factor in either as a starter or starter-type reps,” James Franklin said earlier this month. “He’s built on that. His habits are a lot better in terms of how he practices and approaches meetings and everything else. You can make the argument that he may be our most physical offensive lineman.”

Without Tengwall, my projected starting O-line for Saturday’s opener against West Virginia is Olu Fashanu at left tackle, Nelson at left guard, Hunter Nourzad at center, Sal Wormley at right guard and Caedan Wallace at right tackle.

Franklin said Wednesday the hope is that Tengwall will still have a role around the team.

James Franklin says they hope Landon Tengwall will still be around the team in some capacity moving forward

— Audrey Snyder (@audsnyder4) August 30, 2023

Required reading

(Photo: Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)