Getting Freiermuth back huge for Lions

The best news from Wednesday was obviously that Penn State will get to play football this fall. The second best news came from tight end Pat Freiermuth.

A report last week indicated Freiermuth would not play for PSU this season, instead opting to get ready for the NFL draft. But Freiermuth, a junior, ended that speculation with a welcome announcement during an appearance on BTN.

"I never opted out. I don't know where those reports came from…I'm just excited to play football again for @PennStateFball."

– Pat Freiermuth (@Pat_Fry5) was a welcome interruption to @coachjfranklin's interview with some breaking news live on BTN: pic.twitter.com/RhKW6dqQrH

— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) September 16, 2020

Freiermuth was asked by BTN’s Dave Revsine about what went into his decision.

“There were some conversations going on between me and Coach,” Freiermuth said as he stood over James Franklin’s shoulder on TV. “There was some open dialogue, just talking about everything, my pros and cons.

“But at the end of the day, I came back for a reason last year to continue to play for Penn State, to continue to play with my brothers on the team, and evidently we got the opportunity to do that. So I’m going to continue to play football for Penn State.”

Getting Freiermuth back is huge for the Lions. He’s widely considered to be the best tight end prospect in college football and best prospect at the position for next year’s draft.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder has been exceptional during his PSU career, catching 69 passes for 875 yards and 15 touchdowns in two seasons. His 15 career TDs are tied with Mike Gesicki for the program record by a tight end.

Freiermuth could be an even bigger weapon this fall, with the Lions having some question marks at wide receiver.

Had Freiermuth departed, it could have made for some tough times in the passing game as quarterback Sean Clifford worked to find his most reliable targets.

But with a matchup nightmare like Freiermuth, there’s no question he will be one of Clifford’s top targets, as well as perhaps the most dynamic tight end in the country.