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Penn State football: Mike Gesicki 2017 season rewind

By Collin Wieder

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Mike Gesicki #88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions makes a leaping touchdown reception above the hands of Chris Weber #49 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - NOVEMBER 18: Mike Gesicki #88 of the Penn State Nittany Lions makes a leaping touchdown reception above the hands of Chris Weber #49 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second quarter on November 18, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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Mike Gesicki’s return didn’t go perfect. However, the Penn State football red zone stud worked through injuries and inconsistency for another solid year.

The Nittany Lions’ offense deviated from its usual downfield attack after losing key piece Chris Godwin last year. Even though Penn State football transitioned, Mike Gesicki didn’t suffer much of a setback in the offense. He still got his numbers despite working through a back injury early on in the season. Gesicki fought through, because he expected a shot at the national title.

That didn’t happen, but when the media dissects his career, they’ll see an all-time great career at Penn State. Penn State football has a nice history with guys like Kyle Brady, Ted Kwalick Andrew Quarless and Mickey Shuler. So he joins a great fraternity, but he leads all of them when it comes to production.

In two years of starting with the Nittany Lions, he’s caught 99 passes for 1,180 yards and 14 touchdowns. The wiry, lengthy red zone threat gave this offense a go-to guy for two seasons with McSorley. Last year, he finished second on the team in receptions and first this year. When a team needed someone after Godwin left, they knew McSorley to Gesicki would still keep this passing game thriving.

This year he shifted to more of a possession tight end, but he made plays when the team needed him. In big games against Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State, Gesicki caught 16 passes for 198 yards. He didn’t coral a touchdown against those teams, but the passing game didn’t need him to do score touchdowns. it still worked efficiently with him not scoring in the red zone (Video Courtesy of Nittany Nation).

Measurable-wise, he’s a stud at 6-foot-6, 250-plus, his stature allows him to outmuscle corners. Furthermore, his athleticism makes him even more dangerous. When the team used a more vertical passing attack, he feasted with the 50-50 ball. McSorley could put the ball anywhere and he could go get it, as evidenced by his highlights last year. (Video Courtesy of Nittany Nation).

In his highlights any fan can see that he’s the most well-equipped of the aforementioned names. In the NFL, he’ll fit like a glove because he does what a lot of new age tight ends do, catch the ball. There’s nothing wrong with him being a receiving-focused tight end. He’s a stud, and he can add some bulk and improve his blocking in the NFL. A strong bowl game and combine will take his stock out of the stratosphere for the NFL draft.

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