Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1532761
M A R C H 2 0 2 5 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E B I G P I C T U R E / / / / / / / too much history, there's too much data, and there are too many [facts] saying you don't need to go anywhere else. You can stay at home and get everything you want in terms of your college career and also set yourself up for the future." Franklin paused for a beat then pointed to the reporter who had led him onto the topic. "I really appreciate you asking that question," he said. Franklin likely appreciated it even more when the unnamed player to whom his response was presumably directed — five-star tight end Andrew Olesh of Center Valley, Pa. — flipped his commitment from Michigan to Penn State on Dec. 6, the last day of the three-day early signing period. Olesh's change of heart was one of the biggest headlines of a busy December for the Nittany Lions. He had amassed 2,354 receiving yards and 22 touch- downs during his career at Southern Lehigh. Charles Power, On3's director of scouting and rankings, described the 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect as a "highly skilled, athletic tight end with a game that should translate to the college and pro levels." Southern Lehigh coach Phil Sams echoed that appraisal, noting simply, "He's a stud." For a variety of reasons, Franklin was thrilled to add the No. 1-rated prospect in Pennsylvania to Penn State's class. The Nittany Lions always want to lock down the best players in their home state, of course. But also, Olesh fits nicely within an offensive system that has showcased tight ends on an annual basis. "It's a win-win," said Franklin, who has had five of his Penn State tight ends drafted since 2015. "I've gotten to know him and his family very well, as you can imagine. I also watched his tape from this year. He came to camp with us two years ago, and we've got a pretty good idea of who he is. He has a chance to be a weapon for us here in the near future." Listed by On3 as the No. 29 over- all prospect nationally, Olesh wasn't the only highly regarded tight end to sign with the Nittany Lions. They also landed four-star prospects Brian Kor- tovich of Willoughby, Ohio, and Matt Henderson of Powhatan, Va. That decorated tight end trio is part of a 27-player class, the biggest of Franklin's tenure at Penn State. Its size is partly a reflection of the changes that are coming to college football, with the old rules regarding scholarship limits likely to soon be abandoned in place of an overall roster cap of 105 players. By any standard, though, this is a big class. Of the top 50 teams in the On3 rankings for the 2025 cycle, only seven are bringing in more players this year than the Nittany Lions. Only one team in the On3 top 20 has a bigger class than Penn State — second-ranked Georgia with 28 signees. In addition to the tight end spot, the Nittany Lions got better in a number of areas where they are already quite good: Penn State Sees Benefits To An Even Earlier Signing Period Penn State brought in 27 high school prospects during the 2025 recruiting cycle, all of whom signed in December. The early signing period was moved up two weeks to accommodate the College Football Playoff, and coaches were barred from going on the road to recruit from Dec. 2-8, a change that Penn State general manager Andy Frank applauded. "I'm definitely in favor of that," Frank said. "I just think the more time we can spend on our campuses, with our players, with the coaches, the better we'll be." That sentiment is nearly unanimous across college football, particularly with the addition of the trans- fer portal. Not only were coaches taking in-home visits with high school players the previous December, they were also traveling all over the country to meet with potential portal prospects. It made an over- loaded schedule all the more hectic. Going forward, it will be hard to move the transfer window out of December and January. What could potentially change, though, is a shift in the early signing period from December to the summer. Schools like Penn State would likely benefit from such a move. This year, the Nittany Lions had more than 20 play- ers committed by the end of July, including two who later flipped to other schools, edge rusher Jayden Woods and safety Antonio Branch Jr. If the early signing period were moved to the summer, coaches and recruiting assistants would still have to work hard to keep their later additions locked up, particularly in January when they would be back on the road. So, from an overall perspective, it wouldn't eliminate work. But as Frank noted, staffers would benefit from not having to cram so many high-priority tasks into such a short window. That's especially true nowadays with an expanded playoff. "This is one of the craziest times of the year," Frank said in December. "I don't think anybody really thinks it's good to have the transfer portal, signing day, all of these things going on essentially while the playoffs are going on. "If you look at major league sports, whether it's football, basketball, whatever it may be, you would never see free agency happening during your playoff. That's probably not good for the sport. Hopefully, at some point, we can move forward there and make some changes, but it will have to fit a bigger picture. "I think sometimes maybe we make one small change here and think it's going to solve everything, but you have to fit the whole year around each change" — Ryan Snyder Under the NCAA's current schedule, December is "one of the craziest times of the year," Penn State football general manager Andy Frank said. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER