Left tackle Olu Fashanu and linebacker Chop Robinson were teammates at Penn State for two seasons (2022-23).
Now, the two players will be on opposite sides for the first time in the NFL when the Jets visit the Dolphins this Sunday.
“Chop is my dog,” Fashanu told the Daily News. “We’re brothers. We got super close at Penn State.
“We grew up around the same area. For him and I, it is a very unique situation. Two guys from the same area ended up being at Penn State at the same time in our college careers playing on the opposing side of the ball and both going in the first round.
“It is a unique situation. I’m super excited and looking forward to it.”
Fashanu and Robinson grew up in Maryland before heading to Penn State. Fashanu was born in Waldorf and attended Gonzaga College High School. Robinson grew up in Gaithersburg and began his college career at Maryland before transferring to Penn State for his final two collegiate seasons.
“When I first got to Penn State, I kept hearing the hype about Olu and then once I went out there, I tried to just burn him off the ball and he put me down to the ground,” Robinson said. “I was like, ‘OK, yeah. He’s the real deal.’
“So I would just say honestly, the one-on-ones that I went against him every day in practice, and he made me better.”
During their two seasons as teammates at Penn State, Fashanu and Robinson practiced against each other each week. Fashanu called those practices between the two “wars.”
“He will tell you, we made each other better,” Fashanu said. “Going at it every play in practice. Whether it was run or pass, I struggle to find anyone with a better get-off than him.
“The way that he challenged me, especially in pass protection, definitely made me a lot better, and it kind of forced me to improve my game because of how dominant he was.”
Both Fashanu and Robinson were so dominant at Penn State that they were each selected in the first round of last April’s draft. The Jets took Fashanu 11th overall. The Dolphins chose Robinson 10 picks later to help improve their pass rush after Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Bradley Chubb (ACL) both suffered season-ending injuries in 2023.
“He texted me the other day just asking, ‘I better get that jersey,’ Robinson said to the media on Wednesday. “He told me that he better get that jersey after the game, and we’re definitely going to make that happen.”
The Jets selected Fashanu to provide insurance behind Tyron Smith, who began the season as the starting left tackle. However, following Morgan Moses’ knee injury in Week 3, Fashanu started his career at right tackle in Weeks 4 and 5 against the Broncos and Vikings.
Fashanu moved back to the bench after Moses was ready to play again in Week 6 against the Bills. However, after Smith suffered a neck injury in the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals and was later placed on injured reserve, Fashanu became the player protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside.
In 351 snaps this season, Fashanu has allowed just one sack and committed three penalties. Despite the loss to the Seahawks last Sunday, Fashanu was exceptional. He finished with 42 pass-block snaps and didn’t allow a single pressure.
“I feel really good at left tackle,” Fashanu said. “I think the biggest adjustment is definitely just honing in and focusing on the small details related to the game plan or my matchup. Whether I want to change the way that I pass set or depending on who I go up against.
“It has been little things that have been the biggest adjustment.”
JETS COULD BE WITHOUT KEY PLAYERS
With five games remaining in the season, the Jets have several significant players whose status for the Dolphins game is up in the air.
For the second consecutive day, cornerback Sauce Gardner (hamstring), running back Breece Hall (knee), and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) did not practice, which typically doesn’t bode well for playing on Sunday.
Moses (shoulder, knee), who missed practice on Wednesday, was a limited participant on Thursday. So was Fashanu, who has been limping noticeably because of a toe injury.
Linebacker C.J. Mosley fully practiced on Wednesday but likely had a setback and didn’t practice at all Thursday. Mosley hasn’t played since the Jets’ Week 7 loss at Pittsburgh. During pregame warmups the following week against the Patriots, Mosley suffered a herniated disc in his neck.
“Last week was the first time he really went full practice, full pads, and full all that,” Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said about Mosley on Wednesday. “He felt good, not great so we’re going to give him another week to really take an assessment of where he’s at.”
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