Penn State head coach James Franklin is amassing quite the football jersey collection this offseason, so it would seem. Over the weekend, as the Penn State world focused on the updates coming out of the 2021 NFL draft, Franklin received a visit from a former Penn State tight end already making a name for himself in the NFL. Mike Gesicki returned to Happy Valley to pay his former head coach a visit, and he came with a present for Franklin.
My guy! @coachjfranklin is the best in the business! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/8cSnhTYPEd
— Mike Gesicki (@mikegesicki) May 1, 2021
Earlier this spring, Franklin received a signed jersey from another former Nittany Lion, wide receiver KJ Hamler.
While he was in town, Gesicki may have witnessed for himself that one of his old records in the Penn State football facilities has been dethroned. Freshman tight end Theo Johnson shared a photo on Twitter of a round of 40-yard dash times, which included Johnson’s team-best 4.51. That time clipped the previous best by a tight end of 4.54 seconds set by Gesicki in the winter of 2016.
Sorry @mikegesicki you’ve been dethroned pic.twitter.com/tB9j1cAnci
— Theo Johnson🇨🇦 (@theo_Johnson_) April 30, 2021
Gesicki had a successful career at Penn State. By the time he left for the NFL, Gesicki had owned the school record for most catches by a tight end (129) and ended his career No. 17 on Penn State’s all-time leading receivers list with 1,481 career receiving yards (also a record for a tight end). Gesicki was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft and was the second tight end drafted. Similarly, in this year’s draft, Pat Freiermuth was also a second-round draft pick (by the Pittsburgh Steelers) and was the second tight end off the board in the draft.
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