| Sources: GoDucks.com official bio; ESPN game log; Ducks Wire snap counts (Sept 2026)
Andrew Olesh arrived from Penn State in January without having played a single down of college football, and he was on the field for more tight end snaps than anyone on Oregon’s roster at Oklahoma State and against Portland State, the two games Jamari Johnson missed.
That happened by accident. Jamari Johnson was TE1 and Kendre Harrison was the five-star everyone wanted to talk about. Then Johnson got hurt and stayed hurt, and Olesh played 48 snaps at Oklahoma State and 48 more against Portland State, where he caught a 13-yard touchdown from Dylan Raiola in the third quarter. It was the first of his career, in his second year of college, for his second school.
Nobody announced him as the starter. He has just been the one out there. See the tight end room.
48 and 48
Snaps vs Oklahoma State and Portland State
Most of any Oregon tight end
1
Career touchdown
13 yards, third quarter, Sept 18
Penn State
Previous school
Transferred January 2026
6-5
Height
235 lbs, Center Valley, Pa.
48 and 48
Snaps in Oregon’s last two games, most of any tight end on the roster
A transfer who had never played a college down is the most-used tight end on a team whose TE1 was a preseason second-team All-American.
thequackreport.com
“
There’s a lot of opportunity. Just look at the tight ends who’ve came through Oregon, who’ve developed here.
Olesh, Aug 10, 2026
In fall camp, via The Register-Guard
Why He Left Penn State
He was a four-star in the 2025 class, the No. 3 tight end nationally by 247Sports and the No. 5 by Rivals, out of Southern Lehigh in Center Valley, Pennsylvania. He committed to Michigan, flipped to Penn State, enrolled early in January 2025, and then did not play. He redshirted, entered the portal after the season and picked Oregon on January 11, 2026.
Oregon was already on his list the first time around. He wore 88 at Penn State, 81 and then 86 in Oregon spring practice, and 19 once the season started, which is a small detail that has confused a few roster listings.
The Room Fell Apart And He Was Standing There
This is the least settled group on the offense and it is not close. Jamari Johnson, a preseason second-team All-American, was a late scratch at Oklahoma State and missed Portland State too. Kendre Harrison, the freshman with the five-star billing, had his moment against Portland State with four catches and his own first touchdown, then walked to the locker room with a trainer in the second half. He played at USC (official participation list) and is not on Oregon's UCLA availability reports.
Olesh has been the constant. Not the most talented player in the room on paper, just the one who has been available and on the field for 48 snaps two weeks in a row. Against Portland State an Addicted To Quack film review had him lining up in the backfield as a lead blocker on stretch plays, which is the unglamorous half of the job and the half that keeps a tight end on the field.
What To Actually Expect
Three catches for 32 yards and a touchdown is a real season so far and it is also a small one. He is not replacing what Kenyon Sadiq did last year and nobody should pretend otherwise. What he is doing is holding a job in a room that keeps losing people, which is what let Oregon keep its tight end packages while Johnson was out.
Johnson came back at USC with 7 catches for 119 yards, so this room just got crowded.
Watch List for 2026
1
How the snaps split now that Jamari Johnson is back (USC snap counts not yet published)
2
Run blocking on the edge and from the backfield, which is what has kept him on the field
3
Target share against a real defense, since three catches across three games is not yet an answer
Frequently Asked Questions
Jamari Johnson, when healthy. He started at USC on Sept 26 (official starting lineup) and led Oregon with 7 catches for 119 yards after missing two games. Andrew Olesh played 48 snaps in each of the games Johnson missed, more than any other Oregon tight end. Our depth chart lists the spot as open between Olesh, Kendre Harrison and Johnson.
Penn State. He enrolled there early in January 2025, redshirted as a true freshman without playing, entered the transfer portal after the season and committed to Oregon on January 11, 2026.
Yes, one: a 13-yard catch from Dylan Raiola in the third quarter against Portland State on Sept 18, 2026. It was the first touchdown of his college career.
19. He wore 88 at Penn State and 81 and then 86 during Oregon spring practice, so older roster listings and photos may show a different number.
Sources: GoDucks.com official bio; ESPN game log; Ducks Wire snap counts (Sept 2026). This page covers on-field performance and publicly available recruiting data only.
Andrew Olesh on video this season
Players · Sept 23 · 5:25
Andrew Olesh: "Developing and doing the right thing."
