“When he died, he died with a good name behind,” his son Anthony Fashanu said recently. “When I get back to Nigeria, I introduce myself to a lot of people. They say, 'Oh, you're Adewale's son.' They always honor the name. So what I also try to instill in my children is that having a good name is better than having all the money in the world.
Decades after immigrating to the United States and settling in Waldorf, Maryland, Anthony would hear his family name announced to a wide American audience. Adewale's grandson, his son, will be selected early in Thursday night's NFL Draft, likely in the first 10 and the first offensive lineman selected.
Olu Fashanu never tried on football pads until he arrived as a freshman at regional Gonzaga University High School, and he played a year longer at Penn State than almost anyone outside of his family expected. Over the course of eight years, Fashanu went from a basketball prospect to a team captain at a college football powerhouse. He was named an All-American, a finalist for the academic version of the Heisman Trophy, and graduated from business school a semester early.
“He did everything right,” Penn State offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. “He’s not the kind of kid who lets money change his work ethic or change who he is.”
Anthony Fashanu immigrated to the United States in the early 1990s and lived with his uncle on Long Island. Shortly after moving to Maryland, he met his wife, Paige, settled in Waldorf, and had two children. Their son, Olumuyiwa, had the athletic ability gene that helped Anthony play semi-professional soccer. He stood out above his peers and was drawn to basketball. Fashanu's parents spent $50,000 to $60,000 so he could travel around the country to camps and join AAU and Elite Youth Basketball League teams. “Was he going to get a basketball offer? I don't know,” Anthony said. “But I know he was very good.”
During these basketball trips, football coaches would often approach Anthony in the stands and plead with Fashanu to play their sport for the team. Anthony refused all his advances without telling his son. Although he was a college football fan, he was concerned about the physical toll it takes and the threat of brain damage. He twice signed Fashanu to the Charles County Youth League, but both times he changed his mind and did not let him play.
Fashanu entered Gonzaga University with the intention of playing basketball. He grew to nearly 6 feet 6 inches by eighth grade. At a summer welcome picnic for freshmen, Eagles football coach Randy Trivers spotted Fashanu walking around, towering over his future classmates. “Of course, Orr looks a little different than other freshmen coming in,” Trivers said. “You'll see, 'Oh, this is a good frame. This young man could possibly be interested in soccer.' Anyone can join the program. But it raised your eyebrows a little bit.”
Anthony recalled that Trivers called him every day for a month. He ignored all calls. On the first day of school, Mr. Trivers found Mr. Fashanu in class, handed him his football equipment and told him to go to practice after school. Fashanu didn't give up, thinking there was a way to get in shape and gain strength for the winter.
“At that point in my life, I was a basketball player,” Fashanu said. “The thought process was to try football and see if I liked it, but at the end of the day, I was going to at least condition myself for basketball season.”
“I was worried,” Anthony said. “His mom was worried. But we prayed about it. We said, 'Okay, we'll take it as is.' ”
Fashanu started on the freshman team and “learned what a stance really is and how to line up,” Trivers said. He quickly fell in love with soccer. His basketball experience has given him advanced and agile footwork. Fashanu was almost always the biggest kid on the court, and taking advantage of that often came with punishment. In soccer, physicality has become a weapon. He loved how intense practice and extensive preparation forged strong friendships.
“I knew 110 percent that he was going to give his all to the sport,” Page said. “Because that's what he does.”
At lunch, Fashanu ate quickly and returned to Gonzaga's film room to study the NFL offensive linemen on whom the game was modeled. During the offseason, he set his alarm for 5 a.m. so he could drive to district in time for early morning practice. He was sometimes in the weight room after school until 6:30 p.m. He ended up staying at Gonzaga for his 12 hours, and that didn't factor in the roughly hour-long commute at each end.
“It takes a really mature, dedicated, tough guy to do that consistently,” Trivers said. “He was able to roll up his sleeves with all his might. It wasn't easy. He may have made it look easy.”
“I’m not going to lie that I woke up at 5 a.m. every day during the offseason and was so excited,” Fashanu said. “I knew that was what I needed to do to get where I wanted to go. A big part of that is because my parents instilled discipline in me from an early age.”
Spontaneity permeated Fashanu's education. His father always told him and his sister, “No matter what you do, always be the best at it.” Trivers felt it didn't matter what assignments Fashanu had in front of her, whether it was practice drills, math class or community work. He wanted to excel and focused himself on that.
“In most West African families, relationships between family members are definitely built on respect, discipline and love,” Fashanu says. “That was something that was especially emphasized in our household: treating everyone with respect and being grateful to those who have helped you get to where you are in life and discipline. Show and just put in the work.”
By Fashanu's second season, he had not yet become a full-time starter, but Trivers believed the lineman was on track to play at a Power Five school. College programs started noticing his ideal size and athleticism at camp. He received his first major scholarship offer from Rutgers University before his junior year.
“We were shocked,” Anthony said. “I mean, I can't explain how we felt.”
In his junior season, Fashanu blocked quarterback Caleb Williams, currently projected to be the No. 1 draft pick, and became “that guy,” Trivers said. Filled with scholarship offers, he chose Penn State.
Penn State offensive line coach Trautwein said Fashanu came to Penn State as a “raw” player. Trautwein constantly watched him in the film room, taking detailed notes on his opponents. He improved his flexibility. He focused on where to place his hands on the defender. He honed his pass-blocking skills.
“He just worked,” Trautwein said. “He worked and definitely turned his weaknesses into strengths.”
Fashanu made his first start as a sophomore in the Outback Bowl and had a dominant performance. He started the first eight games of the 2022 season, becoming one of the Big Ten's best linemen and drawing attention from NFL evaluators before an injury ended his season. After starting just nine games in college, Fashanu has become a valuable prospect. He learned that if he left school early, he would likely be selected in the first round of the first 10 picks.
The outside world expected Fashanu to enter the draft. Who would waste a year's worth of NFL money, risk injury, and delay a lucrative second pro contract by a year?
But those who knew Fashanu best believed he might stay. He went to Penn State with one certainty: to leave with his degree. Paige's mother, whom Fashanu and his sister called Nana Fawehinmi, was an educator. When she visited in the summer, Fashanu and his sister, who were in kindergarten, had to finish their school activities before going to the zoo. His parents reminded him that he is a student-athlete and that students come first.
Fashanu is majoring in supply chain management and information systems, an unusually difficult course for a soccer star. “I've definitely had some tough days,” he said. “I just did what I had to do.'' He worked in the pharmaceutical division of a large corporation and dreamed of one day starting his own company.
Fashanu was also attracted to finishing the season healthy and leading Penn State to a championship. He wanted to play one more season with his teammates, whom he calls “brothers.” So he called a meeting with Penn State's coaches and first told them: I came here to get my degree. ”
“It meant more to him than money,” Trautwein said. “In the world we live in now, it would be crazy for him to stay. It showed me what kind of person he is. He wanted a chance to win a national championship. It's all about the team. . We need more players like that. I don't know how many kids are going to do that in the next 10 years.”
In 2023, Fashanu didn't allow a sack and made it his mission to become a more vocal leader as a returning starter.
“I'm really an introvert, because I'm transparent,” Fashanu says. “I'm trying to stay in my lane. That's an important thing for me to improve on, being the kind of guy that men respect and being the guy that other people can rely on when things get busy. I wanted to be the guy who could step up and talk to the team and let everyone know everything was going to be okay.”
Although Penn State lost to Michigan State and Ohio State, Fashanu got everything he wanted in his final season. He graduated one semester early. Fashanu and his family have never regretted that choice. “It made sense,” Page said. “I knew he was going to finish his education. I don't think he was mentally ready yet.”
“I'm ready,” Anthony said. “He's more mature. And he's ready for it. N.F.L. ”
An NFL team is scheduled to draft Fashanu early Thursday night. They will be acquiring a player who is still developing, an offensive lineman with rare athleticism and power. You will also get young people who have been given a good reputation and have done whatever it takes to protect that reputation.
