Tyler Warren could only register a subtle grin as he walked off the field after Penn State’s 33-30 win at USC on Saturday. He had just produced one of the greatest offensive performances in the program’s history, but hardly showed an ego. The national media is making sure James Franklin’s star tight end gets his flowers.
On Monday, Warren was named the Associated Press national player of the week for his historic showing against the Trojans. It was in that game that he registered 17 catches, tying an FBS tight end record, and setting a Big Ten and Penn State tight end record with 224 receiving yards.
Warren’s receiving-yard tally broke the program’s tight end record he had already set on Sept. 7 against Bowling Green and his catches were the most in a single game by any receiver in Penn State history.
“It’s another game,” Warren humbly said postgame, “and we’re just doing our jobs as tight ends and what’s asked of us.”
There were countless plays that served as evidence of Warren’s greatness, but one sticks out above the rest. Warren began the play at center, snapping the ball to backup quarterback Beau Pribula who then flipped it to Drew Allar. Warren raced straight from the line of scrimmage into the endzone, where Allar found him for an acrobatic 32-yard touchdown.
It was quite possibly one of the greatest plays by a tight end in the history of college football, and it landed at No. 5 on Sunday’s SportsCenter Top Ten.
“It’s gonna sound funny, but we practice that all the time,” Warren said. “So it was just doing another job on the play, and Drew gave me a chance to go up and make a play.”
And Warren didn’t just catch and snap the ball at USC. He also threw it and rushed it. Overall, Warren was responsible for 237 of the Nittany Lions’ 518 total yards.
Warren’s three-yard reception in overtime inched the Nittany Lions closer to the end zone, two plays before placekicker Ryan Barker nailed a game-winning 36-yard field goal. There is no player more responsible for Penn State’s come-from-behind win than Warren, who is quickly defining himself as a highly coveted NFL Draft prospect.
“I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football, but the reality is, he’s now part of the conversation of one of the best players in all of college football,” Franklin said.
