In November, James Franklin had a message that was clearly aimed at one recruit in particular. It was for four-star Andrew Olesh, who, at the time, was committed to Michigan and was also weighing his options between Oregon and Penn State. After waiting to make his decision on Wednesday’s early signing day, Olesh has finally selected his college.
On Friday, Olesh announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions.
“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 on Nov. 18. “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.”
The 6-foot-5, 215-pound Olesh, a product of Southern Lehigh High School in Center Valley ranked by 247Sports as the top prospect in Pennsylvania and the No. 59 overall prospect nationally, must have heard Franklin’s pleas. He’s set to join a program that has produced a number of NFL tight ends in recent years such as Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Mike Gesicki.
Penn State’s current starting tight end Tyler Warren, the favorite to win the Mackey Award and a legitimate first-round NFL Draft prospect, is set to join that list this spring. Olesh will have the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Warren and others when he joins the Nittany Lions prior to next season.
Ty Howle, the team’s tight ends coach, has defined himself as one of the nation’s best at developing players at that position.
“There’s no school in the country, there’s no program in the country that is doing what we are doing with tight ends right now, really over the last 10 years” Franklin said. “And Ty Howle has come into that position as a Penn State Letterman, and, I think, has taken it to a whole other level. We’re recruiting the best tight ends in the country. We’re developing the best tight ends in the country.”
Even with Warren’s impending departure, the Nittany Lions’ future at the tight end position looks as bright as ever. Olesh is set to compete for playing time with Luke Reynolds, who will be in just his second year of college, as well as veteran Khalil Dinkins and rising star Andrew Rappleyea, who sustained a long-term injury in just the second week of the season.
Olesh joins four-star Matt Henderson and three-star Brian Kortovich as the third tight end in Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class, which now has 27 members. Olesh becomes the top-ranked prospect of the class, which ranked No. 16 nationally before his commitment.
It’s possible the Nittany Lions aren’t done yet, either.
Bryce Baker, a four-star quarterback currently committed to North Carolina, visited the Nittany Lions this past Saturday, directly after reopening his recruitment. He did not sign on Wednesday and Penn State appears to be heavily in the mix of his recruitment.
