Michigan Football Recruiting: Can Wolverines Hold Onto Elite TE?

Michigan football is building some momentum on the recruiting trail. They recently picked up some predicitions to land five star offensive tackle Andrew Babalola, and are set up for some big recruiting weekends over the coming weeks. However, one of the biggest recruiting battles remaining for the Wolverines is the battle to hold onto tight end Andrew Olesh.

Olesh is ranked as the #47 player and #3 tight end in the nation according to 247 Sports. For a school that uses the tight end position as a focal point of the offense, the Wolverines need to hold onto Olesh. They haven't had a recruit of his caliber at the position in quite some time.

Michigan football is attempting to fight off Alabama, Oregon, and Penn State for the Pennsylvania native. Olesh visited Alabama for their thrilling victory against Georgia. However, the Crimson Tide are trending for North Carolina tight end commit Marshall Pritchett. Because of this, the Tide likely won't make a huge push for Olesh.

Olesh originally considered visiting Oregon for their game against Ohio State but did not go through with that plan, which is huge for Michigan football. Oregon has tons of momentum on the field and on the recruiting trail, so it'll be very important for Michigan to keep them out of this race. Right now, Oregon doesn't appear to be a dire threat to Michigan -- but obviously, that could change in a heartbeat. And with Oregon's NIL, you can't rule out the Ducks.

Lastly, the local team. Penn State. The Nittany Lions are obviously off to a great start to the season, being ranked #3 in the nation. However, they haven't played much competition yet, so whether or not they're deserving of that ranking remains to be seen. Penn State is continuing to push for Olesh, and he remains interested.

While a visit hasn't been set, it wouldn't be surprising to see Olesh go to a game. I'd keep an eye on their November 2nd matchup against Ohio State. If there's any game he's going to attend, that's it. The concern here is that Michigan wants to get Olesh back on campus, and November 2nd is their game against Oregon. So it'll be very interesting to see what happens with the visits.

Should Michigan football fans be concerned about Andrew Olesh?

As of now, no. There are no indications that Olesh is going to decommit. You can't blame a kid for wanting to explore all of his options. Right now, it appears that Olesh is happy with Michigan. That can change at any point, but for now, I wouldn't worry too much.

Now, if Olesh doesn't make the trip to Ann Arbor sometime over the next month I might start to worry, but for now Michigan likes where it stands. The Wolverines are gaining momentum on the recruiting trail and are happy where they are. Keep an eye out for any updates here. Go blue.