Add Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck to the list of people who think Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the man.
It wasn’t a surprise that Fleck complimented Warren minutes after he torched Minnesota’s defense for 102 yards on eight receptions.
Still, what Fleck said about Warren ranks among the finest compliments anybody has given the fifth-year senior— and there have been many.
Fleck talked up Warren in his weekly press conference leading into Saturday’s game.
“Really, really good player,” Fleck said, “and we got our hands full. I’ll put it that way, but it’s the versatility to do so many things. I think that when you’re looking at Penn State, (they have) the ability to do a lot of different things and they do it very consistently.”
WARREN FOR HEISMAN?
Penn State athletics
Fleck wouldn’t go as far as to endorse Warren for the Heisman Trophy— which no tight end has won since 1949– for the award, but he does feel Warren merits more consideration than he’s currently getting.
Live Update:
Travis Hunter is now -700 to win the Heisman 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EjMmPzKTDR
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) November 23, 2024
“I still don’t know why people don’t talk about him for the Heisman Trophy,” Fleck said after the game. “I’m not saying he’s going to win it. I’m not sure… I’ve seen a top 10 and he’s not in it? That guy makes that team even better, way better than they are. And they’re a really good football team. He makes them better, and he influences them at every level on offense.”
Minnesota HC P.J. Fleck called #PennState TE Tyler Warren a 'special player' in his press conference on Saturday after the Nittany Lions' narrow win over the #Gophers.
"I still don't know why people don't talk about him for the Heisman Trophy."
Watch what he had to say below… pic.twitter.com/wcl6eno5D8
— DylanCallaghanCroley (@RivalsDylanCC) November 24, 2024
Like everybody else, Fleck is impressed by Warren’s versatility.
“Quarterback, running back, wide out, blocker, tight end, receiver,” he said. “It’s unbelievable. He’s one of the best college football players I’ve seen and played against. Because you can limit him, but we did everything we could to take him out of the game and he still had eight catches for 102 yards. When somebody builds a game plan around you and you still do that and you still find a way to do all the other things he did? Special player.
MORE THAN JUST WARREN
Photo by Penn State Athletics: Abdul Carter
Although Fleck implied that Tyler Warren is Penn State’s best player, he made it clear that No. 44 isn’t the only one that impresses him.
“That’s one of the best teams in the country,” Fleck said. “This is one of the top five teams I’ve ever played against as a football coach.”
“That’s one of the best front sevens in all of college football,” he said. “There’s a lot of first-rounders, second-rounders and third-rounders up there, and it’s the same with the linebackers.”
One of the “first-rounders” Fleck was clearly referring to is defensive end Abdul Carter, who many feel could be a top-five pick in the 2025 Draft.
For Fleck, there’s no margin for error against Penn State.
“They make you pay,” he said. “When you make a mistake, they got you. You look at their corners, they’re really good, but when you have a front seven like that, it takes a lot of pressure off the back end.”
Penn State ends its regular season Saturday against Maryland. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 on the Big Ten Network.
