Andrew Olesh was about to stand in a line for wide receivers at a University of Pittsburgh camp after his sophomore season at Southern Lehigh.
“I was signed up as a receiver,” Olesh recalled, “but at the last minute when there was like 80 receivers in one line, I go to the tight end line where there were only like eight guys.
“That's really how I got noticed.”
A University of Akron coach provided Olesh with his first Division I offer at the end of that camp. They were flowing in ever since.
Fast forward two years later: Olesh verbally committed to Michigan before his senior season at Southern Lehigh before later opening up his recruitment.
Lehigh Valley football: Southern Lehigh's Olesh all about the team, not records
It was a last-second decision, 12:56 a.m. Friday to be exact, when Olesh opted for Penn State.
“It was a great process, very stressful at times,” Olesh admitted. “But it came down to the wire and I went with my heart.
“I felt I was most comfortable with Penn State and the relationships I developed with the coaches there and the players.”
Olesh will graduate from Southern Lehigh in two weeks and spend his spring semester at Penn State, where he'll major in finance.
Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame and Alabama were the others on his short list.
The 6-foot-5, 215-pounder set school records this season at Southern Lehigh in single-season receptions (75) and yardage (1,105) plus career receptions (156) and receiving yardage (2,354). But it was his leadership that was most influential in coach Phil Sams' Spartans advancing to the PIAA Class 4A semifinals for the first time in program history.
“I coached at a small school in Virginia, the largest classification in Maryland and almost all the classifications in the state of Pennsylvania,” Sams said, “and I can say that Andrew Olesh is the most talented football player I have coached.
“Andrew is big, fast. His hands and route-running skills are extremely rare. ... Something that should be known is how humble Andrew is. He never once asked for the ball or complained. That's not easy with all the attention he was getting.”
Olesh plans on adding to his frame to play tight end at Penn State after being a receiver and cornerback at Southern Lehigh. He added 34 tackles, including three sacks, and eight pass breakups this season.
The Spartans won their second district title and finished 12-3.
Olesh's focus now is to continue to grow into the tight end position at the college level.
“I always knew I wanted to play football,” Olesh said. “I was 5-10 my freshman year. I was 6-3 my sophomore year and 6-5 now. I just really hit a growth spurt. You have to be tall to be a tight end. My sophomore year, I was expecting to play receiver [in college], but then I grew so much.
“I could put on some weight and go play tight end. That's what I did. I really need to put on weight and get better at blocking, which is my No. 1 thing to get better at. I think that will come with putting on weight.”
Morning Call senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@morningpost.us