Not everybody was thrilled that Penn State tight end Tyler Warren won the John Mackey Award.
The Mackey is an honor presented annually to the nation’s top tight end.
For many, Warren was the rightful winner.
But for Barstool Sports, Warren winning over Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. was “the biggest miscarriage of justice in the history of sport.”
It had been clear for a while that Warren (1,062 yards, six touchdowns on 88 catches) and Fannin (1,342 yards, nine touchdowns on 100 catches) were the two top tight ends in the country, with Michigan tight end Colston Loveland also being a finalist.
In the end, Warren won, and at least one Barstool employee wasn’t too happy about it.
WHY BARSTOOL WAS MAD
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Warren
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.For the author of the article, John Rich, the big problem with Warren winning over Fannin was that it showed bias toward a Big Ten school over an MAC one.
“Penn State fans will say Tyler Warren did it against better competition, despite Harold Fannin Jr. putting up 137 yds, 1 TD at Penn State & 145 yds & 1 TD at Texas A&M while playing for a MAC school, and Tyler Warren not once going for 100 yards vs a ranked opponent. I don’t even fully buy that Tyler Warren played football at a higher level of difficulty than Fannin this year. I’m sure Warren had on average tougher individual matchups. But with the exception of 2 games, Penn State’s B1G schedule wasn’t tough. On average there was a bigger talent disparity between Penn State and the teams they played than what Bowling Green had. Tyler Warren had a 5-star QB throwing to him all year long. Harold Fannin’s schedule was weaker overall, but there are also benefits Tyler Warren had playing for Penn State that Fannin didn’t.”
“On top of that, when you show them how Harold Fannin Jr. had a better season in every possible way, Penn State fans will take a completely wild shot in the dark and claim that Tyler Warren is a better blocker. That Harold Fannin Jr. is a glorified wide receiver. They have zero fucking clue if that’s actually true or not. They just assume with the numbers he has that he must be lining up at wideout every play. Which is incorrect. Halfway through the season Mel Kiper Jr. still had Fannin on his draft board as a full back because of how great he was in the run block game, and how often he lines up in the backfield. Fannin’s run blocking grade dwarfs Warren’s.”
WHY WARREN WON
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Tyler Warren
As much as Rich wanted to dismiss Warren’s versatility, it certainly is something that made him unique amongst tight ends. Along with his receiving stats, Warren did damage on the ground (191 yards, four touchdowns, 8.3 yards per carry) and even throwing the ball (3-for-5, 35 yards, touchdown pass.) Warren played 338 snaps at traditional tight end per Pro Football Focus compared to 294 for Fannin. Warren’s 261-pound frame (Fannin weighs 230) also made him a force in the blocking department.
Penn State has its first College Football Playoff ever game against SMU Saturday, Dec. 21 ar Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon on TBS.
