Penn State pulls Early Signing Period shocker, flips Top100 TE Andrew Olesh from Michigan
Penn State has been a central figure in the recruitment of Center Valley (Pa.) Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh from the start. On Friday, the last day of the Early Signing Period, the Nittany Lions pulled a stunner with the Top 100 prospect.
Olesh, who committed to Michigan over the summer, flipped his commitment and announced that he would be signing with the Nittany Lions at a ceremony at his school. Oregon, where Olesh took an official visit a week ago, was the other finalist.
While the Nittany Lions still have some irons in the fire in the Class of 2025, Olesh’s decision has provided a thunderous end to the Early Signing Period for James Franklin. He’s now the top-ranked prospect in Penn State’s signing class, which now stands at 27 signees. Penn State entered Friday with the No. 16 class in the country and the No. 5 group in the Big Ten.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound prospect is the No. 3 tight end nationally according to the On3 Industry Rankings and the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania in the cycle. He checks in at No. 55 overall in the Industry rankings, which take into account the rankings of all four major recruiting networks. Olesh is No. 43 overall in On3’s own rankings, checking in as the No. 2 tight end nationally and the No. 1 prospect in Pennsylvania in the cycle.
“[Olesh is] a stud,” Southern Lehigh head coach Phil Sams told On3. “He’s an excellent football player. He’s a playmaker. He gets better every year. His body has changed. He puts time in the weight room. And he does everything he can to maximize himself as a football player. He dominated as a junior. As a sophomore, he had a good year, too. But now, you put the ball in the air, you know he’s going to get it even if there are two or three guys there. That’s the type of attention he brings.”
Penn State hosted Olesh back in November
Olesh originally committed to Michigan back in July after taking official visits to Alabama, Florida, Penn State and Michigan. He made official falls visits to Notre Dame and, most recently, Oregon. Penn State remained in touch and Olesh was intrigued by the Nittany Lions’ usage of All-Big Ten tight end Tyler Warren. He also visited for Penn State’s matchup with Ohio State in early November.
On more than one occasion, James Franklin made indirect pitches to Olesh with the hopes of getting him to Happy Valley.
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“If you’re a great tight end in the country, and specifically in the state of Pennsylvania, I don’t know how you couldn’t come here,” Franklin said at a press conference in November. “Like, there’s just too much history. There’s too much data. And there’s too many things saying that you don’t need to go anywhere else. You can stay home and get everything you want in terms of your college career and also setting yourself up for your future.
“If you’re a tight end out there in the United States, or specifically in Pennsylvania, I don’t know why you wouldn’t come to Penn State.”
Olesh is the third tight end in Penn State’s Class of 2025, joining On3 four-stars Matt Henderson and Brian Kortovich, who flipped from Purdue earlier this week.
Stay tuned to Blue-White Illustrated for continuing coverage of Penn State’s recruiting efforts and the Nittany Lions’ pursuit of a Big Ten Championship on Saturday against Oregon.
