Blue White Illustrated

I ncoming Penn State recruit Alex Geller- stedt has nearly everything a college coach could wish for in an o4ensive tackle. At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds, Gellerstedt has the ideal frame for the position. In addition, the Dublin, Ohio, native was one of the brightest students at Co4man High, as he was consistently on the honor roll and had a 3.6 grade point average. With that combination of size and smarts, it's easy to overlook the fact that Gellerstedt is still re3ning his game. But that's indeed the case. "I actually didn't play on the o4ensive line until my junior year of high school," he said. "Growing up, I always focused on defensive end and I played some tight end. Basically, I just trusted my high school coach. He suggested that I make that move. He thought it would be best for me long term, and he dealt with a similar situation a couple years before me. We had a guy who was mainly playing defensive end, and my coach moved him to the o4ensive line and he actually ended up going to Notre Dame, so I put a lot of trust in him. "Of course, I was a bit hesitant about it at the time. I felt comfortable at defensive end, but I trusted my coach and it ended up working out for me. I think a lot of schools saw my potential at o4ensive tackle. It de3nitely ended up working out for me. I'm glad I made that move." Rated a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Gellerstedt earned 12 schol- arship o4ers before committing to Penn State in May. Among the schools that ex- tended o4ers were Illinois, Indiana, Ken- tucky, Northwestern, Pitt, Rutgers and West Virginia. He later narrowed that list down to three: Penn State, Wisconsin and North Carolina. At that point, things could have gotten di5cult. "With this being such a huge decision, I put a ton of thought into everything," Gellerstedt said. "It became stressful at times, but as soon as I stepped on campus at Penn State, it really did feel like home to me. "When you know that you found your school, especially such a great school like Penn State, it's an amazing feeling. So, I would say that… it wasn't a very hard de- cision for me because Penn State pretty much became the school for me as soon as I saw it for the 3rst time. Then, a6er spending more time with the coaches and taking one or two more visits, it wasn't hard for me to make a decision. It was the perfect 3t for me." Gellerstedt said he came away impressed with Penn State's academic o4erings, but what really set it apart from the other schools he was considering was its storied football history. "Academics were always really important to me," he said. "That's something that I really prioritized during the process, but most of my options ended up being pretty good schools academically, so that wasn't something that was unique to just Penn State. "What really caught my eye at Penn State was how rich the football tradition is there. There aren't too many programs that can match the success they've had in the past, and I really want to be part of the group that gets Penn State back to where they've always been. I really feel like this group can do that. Also, the coaching staff is great. They've been able to build a great family atmosphere at Penn State. I just felt that bond with them." Gellerstedt was one of four members of Penn State's recruiting class to enroll early, so he's already on campus getting accli- mated to the college lifestyle. But before heading to University Park, he made it clear that he was looking to make a good 3rst impression – both in the weight room and the classroom. "I'm really looking forward to working with the strength sta4," Gellerstedt said. "I'm ready to take things to the next level. I'm ready to transform myself from a high school player to a college player. "Also, having that head start should be great for me academically. I'll be on track to graduate earlier now, and that could help put me on the path to potentially earning a second major or a master's de- gree. I'll be focusing on academics a lot this semester, but I'm also ready to show the coaches and the strength staff that I'm ready to contribute and help the team." ■ Gellerstedt excels after move to offense | Visit bluewhiteonline.com to see video of Gellerstedt in action. U P C L O S E & P E R S O N A L Rivals.com THE GELLERSTEDT FILE STATS Blocked for a Co.man (Ohio) High team that went 7-4 and reached the OHSAA Division I playo.s... Graduated early from Co.man and en- rolled at Penn State in January HONORS Named a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, as well as the No. 46 prospect in Ohio... Compiled a 3.6 grade point average at Co.man and was a con- sistent honor roll student

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