A tipped pass found its way into the hands of Tyler Warren. He secured it and raced 75 yards past the Ole Miss secondary for a first down just feet away from the goal line. It was technically the longest pass play of Drew Allar’s first season as Penn State’s starting quarterback. But it equally could’ve been a dead play if not for Warren’s reaction time and athleticism.
Warren should be among the nation’s top tight ends this season, and is likely to hear his name called early in next spring’s NFL Draft. It’s performances like Warren’s 125-yard showing in the Peach Bowl that coaches anticipate to become typical this fall. Warren may not only be James Franklin’s leading tight end, but his top receiving weapon period.
“I think he’s the most complete tight end in the country in terms of he truly is a weapon in the run game as a blocker, he truly is a weapon on third down in the passing game,” Franklin said after practice Wednesday.
The football world has yet to see what the Nittany Lions have in store under the system of new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. But one thing’s for certain: Kotelnicki is going to center his playbook on his best players. And Warren, being a nationally recognized receiving threat, should benefit greatly from Kotelnicki’s top ideology.
“It’s whatever you’re good at, he’s going to find a way for you to do it, and that’s kind of what offensive football is about, being the best team that you can be, and doing whatever the offense needs,” Warren said. “I think he’s done a great job of putting us in the right positions to do that.”
What exactly is Warren best at? Well, that’s a tricky question, given the fact that his coaches believe he’s advanced at every facet. He’s almost equally as gifted as a run blocker as he is as a pass catcher and route runner, making for a difficult task for opposing teams in attempting to game plan for him.
It’s easy to defend tight ends that are known for one commodity, Franklin said. There are those who appear to be a “big slug” and are obviously used primarily for their blocking. And there are others who typically just lineup wide and serve as almost solely a receiving threat. Warren — with his 6-foot-6, 261-pound frame and sneaky athleticism — can and will be both.
“Those are the tight ends, in my opinion, when you talk to defensive coordinators all over the country, they’re the ones that they hate. … The guys like Tyler, there’s not many of them across the country that can do both, and they cause a lot of headaches,” Franklin said.
There remain questions surrounding the legitimacy of Penn State’s wide receiving corps, and it can be presumed that Warren is likely to see as many targets as any pass catcher. But he’s not the only tight end who could present himself as a viable option in the pass game or as a blocker in 12-personnel sets.
Khalil Dinkins, who’s played in 22 total games over the past two seasons, has the most playing experience of any tight end not named Warren. But Dinkins has been absent for the team’s past three practice viewing sessions, and appears unlikely to play at West Virginia. That means underclassmen Andrew Rappleyea and Luke Reynolds are set to see significant time.
“I think you’ll see a ton of Rappleyea. I also think you’ll see a decent amount of Luke, as well, in this first game,” Franklin said. “I think Rap, as you guys know, there’s been an excitement about him since last year, and he just continues to develop and get better. I think Tyler’s influence on all those guys has been really good.”
Rappleyea appeared in only three games last season, but saw time in Dinkins’ typical post as the middle blocker in the T-formation. It’s said he’s taken a major step forward this offseason. And Reynolds, a true freshman, appears to be too good to leave off the field. With Dinkins likely out, tight ends coach Ty Howle isn’t sweating his other options.
“I think as far as Rap and Luke go, I have a lot of confidence in those guys,” Howle said Thursday. “They’ve had a lot of really good reps and opportunities in fall camp, and have continued to learn and get up to speed on things that we need them to do.”
Dinkins has stayed “engaged” and continued to lead the young tight ends alongside Warren, but for now, his impact is likely to remain strictly off the field.
Warren will have to handle things on field as a veteran presence in a young and exciting room. There only appears to be the utmost confidence that Warren will conclude his college career in the same conversation as many of the program’s great tight ends before him, such as Mike Geskicki, Pat Freiermuth and Brenton Strange.
“You find a lot of guys who are really good in one aspect or two aspects. And I think for him, the progression has been good in all of it. … So it makes people have hard decisions on how they want to play us and play Tyler,” Howle said. “I think that’s the beauty of being an all-around tight end. They can’t put you in a box.”
