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While we mentioned some of the news about Mike Gesicki in Monday's State Secrets, more info has come out. To recap, it's down to two schools for '14 TE Mike Gesicki, and the Buckeyes are right in the thick of things. Penn State and Ohio State are reportedly neck and neck with each other for Gesicki's services after Gesicki finished his official visit to Penn State this weekend for the Michigan game (which went to four overtimes in a Nittany Lions win).
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights were just dropped among his favorites, as Mike prepares to make his selection sometime this week. Gesicki says he wants to make his decision before his game on Saturday, but nothing has been set in stone thus far.
The 6'5", 236-pound tight end is rated as a 3-star in the 247Composite and is placed as the 10th-best tight end in the country. In his home state of New Jersey, Gesicki is ranked as the 11th-best prospect overall. Gesicki enjoyed his visit to Penn State but said he went in with his opinion of Penn State and that it didn't hurt the Nittany Lions' chances. As for his visit to Ohio State a few weeks ago against the Badgers, here's what Gesicki had to say:
"Both visits were phenomenal. I was treated very well at both places. I met a lot of great people. I sat down with Urban Meyer, watched film with him and learned how he wants to use me... things like that. And the atmosphere down at the shoe is unbelievable just like it is at Beaver Stadium.
"Both places were phenomenal and I really enjoyed myself. Both places have great people and it will be a tough decision between the two."
— Stephen Collier (@Stephen5Collier) October 15, 2013
As if that wasn't enough, '14 QB commit Stephen Collier is doing his very best to recruit Gesicki to the Buckeyes, and has actually led the charge in helping recruit fellow classmates ever since he committed to Ohio State. It really might be a toss up, but the Crystal Ball has Ohio State winning this battle by a sizable margin as of today.
Gesicki himself spoke with Ohio State's Urban Meyer late Monday night. It's hard to rule out "The Closer" when it comes to high profile recruits, no matter how confident the opposing fans may be about his prospective commitment:
Always good conversations on the phone with Coach Urban Meyer. #OH-IO #buckeyes 🏈
— MG (@mikegesicki) October 15, 2013
In case you missed it, Ohio State graphic guru Samuel Silverman (aka @SammySilv) came out with a new creation that called out '14 LB Raekwon McMillan. Silv's recruiting pitch shows the words "The Next Man Up" in the Nike alternate jerseys that Ohio State wore against Wisconsin. In case you were wondering if McMillan had seen it himself, the fact that he had it on his Instagram feed should tell you enough about that: