UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has developed into a Swiss Army knife of sorts for James Franklin’s Penn State program.
He’s lined up at tight end, running back, quarterback, slot receiver and offensive lineman in his time at Penn State and it’s culminated in him setting the all-time touchdown record for PSU tight ends after this reception against UCLA.
Too easy for Tyler Warren and Drew Allar 🤝@PennStateFball adds on another before the half 🔥
(Brought to you by @ATTBusiness #ATTBusiness #NextLevelNetwork) pic.twitter.com/qDsHw8yxoi
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 5, 2024
That record-setting touchdown put him amongst the greats who have played tight end for Penn State such as like Kyle Brady, Mike Gesicki and Pat Freiermuth, whose record was broken.
It’s also not the only way Warren has scored for Penn State even this year. He’s found the end zone on the ground.
Tyler Warren is a machine 💪 @PennStateFball #B1GFootball on NBC 📺 pic.twitter.com/0XYOgNL5eb
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 28, 2024
As well as through the air.
Tyler Warren gets @PennStateFball on the board first 💥#B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/mPdk0B9Uad
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 21, 2024
Looking through the dictionary, it’s hard to find an appropriate word to describe what Warren means to Penn State and the offense but Franklin picked a good one.
“He’s dependable,” Franklin said in his postgame presser. “I mean the guy does his job and does it on a consistent basis, whether it is blocking, whether it’s running with the ball, as a ball carrier, whether it is as a receiver. When they can’t put Tyler Warren into a category, that’s what makes tight ends most valuable.”
That value is seen in the multitude of roles Penn State has put Warren in.
“If he’s just a receiver, they can treat him like a receiver. Treat it as 10 personnel,” Franklin said. “If he’s just kind of a big run blocking slug, then that’s not a threat either. But when he can do either or, it makes it very, very difficult to defend.”
Being able to defend a Swiss Army knife like Warren is not an easy task for opponents, and what he does when the ball is in his hands makes him that much more special.
“He’s dependent,” Franklin said. “You throw the ball in his direction, he’s going to catch it, he’s going to break tackles, he’s going to make positive yards. I think he’s the best tight end in college football.”
For Warren, the reason for his dependability is simple, it’s because he’s just doing his job.
“It’s just what our what our mentality and our room is, doing whatever the offense needs us to be,” Warren said. “Whether it’s catching 10 passes one week or catching no passes next week, and whatever they ask of us being able to do it at the best of our ability at a high level. That’s kind of the way we approach it every week and in practice.”
Not many are as dependable and versatile as Warren is, nor do they show the humility Warren displays on a weekly basis when he meets with the media especially when asked where he’d rank himself among the top tight ends who’ve played for the Nittany Lions.
“That’s not really for me to say, but there’s a lot of great tight ends,” Warren said. “To just be able to play tight end at Penn State is something that means a lot to me with all the guys that have played before me, and the kind of talent that I play with myself here and that was here before me. It’s a really special, special place to play tight end.”
