Penn State football: Lions’ top uncommitted in-state target takes pivotal Michigan visit

This weekend brings a close to official visits before the start of the summer dead period. While James Franklin and Penn State football are busy with a full campus of their own, 400 miles away, one of the Nittany Lions’ top remaining targets in the 2025 recruiting cycle, Southern Lehigh tight end Andrew Olesh, is on his official visit with the Michigan Wolverines. 

Olesh has been high on the Nittany Lions’ big board for a while, ranked as the No. 3 in-state recruit per On3’s Industry Rankings. The consensus four-star prospect is the No. 5 tight end nationally in the outlet’s industry scoring, while On3 (78) and 247Sports (84) rank him as a top 100 player in their respective 2025 recruiting rankings. 

After coming to campus eight times over the last year, Andrew Olesh took his official visit with Penn State football last weekend. 

I’ll be at @PennStateFball tomorrow for an Official Visit! 🦁🦁 @CoachTHowle @CoachRocco @chrismahon_ @Kotelnicki @coachjfranklin #WeAre pic.twitter.com/WtKLznSqFz

— Andrew Olesh (@a_olesh8) June 14, 2024

By comparison, this weekend is only Olesh’s second trip to Michigan, with the first coming in April.

“I want to spend more time with the coaching staff,” Olesh told On3 of his official visit. “I didn’t see the full campus, so I want to see that and living arrangements. Also, [I want to spend time] talking to the players and seeing how they like Michigan and how I would fit in there.”

Olesh also visited Alabama (May 31) and Florida (June 7) in the last month. In April, he narrowed his recruitment to eight schools. 

In-state issues for Penn State football?

If you’ve followed the Nittany Lions’ progress over the 2025 recruiting cycle, you might be starting to think that the state of Pennsylvania is dominating James Franklin and not the other way around. 

Franklin and his staff have suffered some difficult in-state losses so far this cycle. Whether those criticisms are fair or not, optically speaking, missing on elite talent from your own backyard will dull the shine on the “dominate the state” mantra.

Penn State football currently holds commitments from four of the state’s top 15 prospects, according to the On3 Industry Rankings for 2025. The Nittany Lions have been averaging about half of the recruits from the top 15 over the last three cycles, with eight commitments in 2022, six in 2023, and seven in 2024. 

Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

However, with the verdict still out on several of the Keystone State’s top prospects, the Nittany Lions could land right on target with previous cycles. 

Susquehanna Township wide receiver Lex Cyrus has been predicted by multiple experts to join the class sooner rather than later.

Imhotep running back Jabree Wallace-Coleman is on his official visit this weekend in the wake of Alvin Henderson’s decommitment. On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine is currently trending toward the Nittany Lions over North Carolina and Rutgers.

That leaves Andrew Olesh. Penn State is also the leader here per On3’s RPM. But Michigan has already delivered one gut-punch to the Nittany Lions this month, persuading Kainoa Winston from following in his cousin’s footsteps in Happy Valley.

For its symbolic and football-related purposes, ensuring that history doesn’t repeat itself with Olesh will be a major recruiting win for Franklin and the Nittany Lions.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation! Please follow us on all of our social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube) and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news and insights on your favorite Penn State athletics. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at basicbluesnation@gmail.com or direct message us on our social media.