Luke Reynolds is making it easy for Penn State to craft a succession plan at tight end. Formerly regarded as the nation’s top recruit at the position, Reynolds has, so far, lived up to the hype. There’s about six tight ends the Nittany Lions would likely feel comfortable playing this fall, and despite his young age, Reynolds has emerged as one of them.
His weight has increased substantially since joining the program in January, now taking on the appearance of a weapon strong enough to spark James Franklin’s confidence. Tyler Warren’s time will soon come to end as the NFL looms. And in his place, the potential for Reynolds to serve as Penn State’s next great tight end appears to be increasingly realistic.
“He makes a ton of plays in the passing game. He’s going to be a really good player,” Franklin said on Tuesday. “We got great competition at the tight end position, but he’s gonna be a guy that’s gonna play this year; whether it is four games plus postseason or whether it’s just an all-out play is still yet to be determined.”
Reynolds looked the part of a scrawny freshman when he first entered the facilities. He still had the build of a quarterback, which he played for a portion of his high school career. Franklin saw shades of greatness in his tape, but knew Reynolds would have to put on the weight (and still does) if wanted to see the field.
Reynolds worked tirelessly over the offseason with strength and conditioning coach Chuck Losey. And by the time camp began, Reynolds was up to 6-foot-4, 241 pounds — 21 pounds heavier than he was in January. He also grew stronger, and he’s since learned the playbook and convinced quarterback Drew Allar that he’s a reliable weapon.
“Luke seems a lot more comfortable in the offense,” Allar said. “Because honestly, behind quarterback, tight end’s probably the hardest position to learn in this playbook. Just because of how many responsibilities you have in the run and pass game and tags that you have to know. So, it’s been really cool to see his development, physically and mentally, these past seven months.”
There’s typically nothing easy about a player’s first year in college football. And becoming fluent in the complex system of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki likely doesn’t simplify the process. Various position groups have been asked to play roles they’ve been previously unfamiliar with and in any personnel set.
That means that things are certain to get creative along the line of scrimmage, and neither Reynolds nor his position group are only competing among themselves.
“We’re competing as tight ends with the receivers and running backs, quarterbacks and the O-line, you know, because we’re gonna be very diverse on offense, being able to change personnels,” tight ends coach Ty Howle said. “So we’re competing against all those position rooms to see how many tight ends we’ll have on the field.”
Warren isn’t likely to be left out of many Kotelnicki schemes. And it’s possible a number of tight ends find their way into the mix, as well — Reynolds being one of them. Khalil Dinkins, Andrew Rappleyea, Jerry Cross and Joey Schlaffer are other candidates for playing time.
The competition at tight end has really only begun, and it should run throughout the season and into the spring and next fall. That’s because there will be an opening for a starting job, and Reynolds could have as good an opportunity as any to claim it. His production is worth keeping an eye on this fall.
“That tight end room is really deep. There’s a lot of playmakers in that tight end room. Obviously, everybody knows Ty Warren, and he’s gonna be Mr. Dependable, Mr. Consistent out there,” Allar said. “But there’s a lot of young tight ends in that room who have really taken the next step in that progression, and specifically Luke.”
