Tyler Warren makes it easy for his quarterback. Sometimes he’s on the shoulder, and other times he’s in the middle of the field on a seam route. But most of the time, Warren is open. There’s not much Drew Allar had to do against Bowling Green, but ship it to the big, open target wearing No. 44. And that game plan played dividends in Penn State’s 34-27 win on Saturday.
Warren would’ve garnered all the attention postgame had it not been for a worrisome defensive effort in the first half of action. And rightfully so; Warren caught eight passes for a career-high 146 receiving yards, which was the most in a game by a tight end in program history. It was a spectacular performance, and one that’s almost equally been overshadowed.
“Obviously he’s a really big target, so that’s nice. And he just finds ways to get open, like he does a really good job of feeling zone versus man and those sorts of things,” Allar said. “And he’s super crafty and savvy in that aspect of his game. And obviously he’s a really good run blocker, so a very complete tight end, and it’s really nice to have that as an option to throw to.”
James Franklin called Warren the “most complete tight end in the country” as the season neared two weeks ago. And through two games, the most recent being a historic masterpiece, Warren has shown just that. He’s not solely defined by his stocky 6-foot-6, 261-pound build. He’s big, sure, but he’s also quick, elusive and a tremendous run blocker.
Warren is rightfully the team’s top receiving threat and a staunch blocker who on Saturday created numerous opportunities for running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who both eclipsed 100 rushing yards against the Falcons.
“Tyler’s been really good. He’s one of the awesome leaders too, that, you know, he goes about his business, he’ll speak when he needs to,” Singleton said. “But he got us out of tough situations, getting a lot of first downs, big carries that just opened everything up. So, Tyler’s been really good.”
There aren’t many tight ends in the country who can find the ball in space and create extra yardage after the catch. Warren is one of them. His speed is a unique quirk that has and should continue to create explosive opportunities for Allar and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. There truly is no way to game plan for Warren because his skill set is so open-ended.
“It’s definitely like, oh, we’re gonna get a bigger gain than I expected, because obviously, like most tight ends, it’s just not a part of their game,” Allar said of Warren’s ability to rack up yards after a reception.
Penn State has developed a number of gifted tight ends in recent years. There’s been Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson, to name a few, all of whom have made their marks in the NFL. And Warren, now the man in the spotlight, appears to be just as good if not better than any of them.
On the day former tight end and longtime NFL starter Jesse James served as the Nittany Lions’ honorary game captain, Warren delivered his piece of history. And while he appreciates the opportunity to solidify his name in the record books, Warren understands he’s only doing what’s asked of him. He’s just as humble as he is talented.
“It’s cool, and I appreciate being able to do something like that at Penn State with a lot of great tight ends. … Last week it was Trey (Wallace), this week, it was me who had some bigger play looks, and then it could be someone else the next week coming up,” Warren said.
Warren isn’t wrong. Wallace was the receiver who stood out most in the team’s season-opening win at West Virginia. Warren did catch a touchdown in that game, but it was Wallace who broke 100 receiving yards. And that’s completely fine to Penn State’s star tight end. Kotelnicki’s offense is a revolving door, and soon enough, another playmaker will be asked to step up too.
But with reserve tight end Andrew Rappleyea injured, and likely out for an extended period, Warren should continue to see a bulk of the opportunities at that position. Some games his name is likely to be called more than others, but at the end of the year, it’s becoming a glowing possibility that Warren finishes his career as one of the program’s greatest tight ends.
“I think Tyler Warren was the guy today that got a bunch of opportunities and made the most of them. Obviously, his play count opportunities went up because we didn’t have Rapp available. So that was part of that, as well,” Franklin said. “You know, last week, everybody was talking about Trey, right? So that’s just kind of how things are going to go.”
