Penn State Football Review and Preview: Tight Ends
Just prior to the start of the 2021 college football season, James Franklin described his tight end room as being perhaps the most talented he’s ever had as a coach.
Despite the loss of current Steeler Pat Freiermuth to the NFL, the Nittany Lions had the luxury of its tight ends gaining some experience in 2020 that could be useful the following season.
But the positional group did not end up meeting expectations and wound up becoming just another aspect of the Penn State offense to struggle under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
2021 REVIEW.....
While it may not have turned out how he envisioned, James Franklin did have good reason to think his tight end room would be a productive one in 2021.
Two years ago, after Freiermuth was ruled out for the second half of season with an injury, young prospects Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson gained some important game reps and showed some encouraging flashes.
So heading into last year, it was expected that the experience would allow them to step into much bigger roles where they would continue to take strides and make critical plays for the offense.
But that didn’t end up happening for either Strange nor Johnson.
Strange had just two more receptions and one more touchdown than the year prior despite playing in three more games and was an overall disappointment after receiving a lot of preseason hype.
The same could be said though about fellow tight end Theo Johnson who was also expected to take on a big role in Yurcich’s offense last season.
Johnson totaled 19 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown but often seemed to go quiet when Sean Clifford and the offense needed a spark from someone other than Jahan Dotson.
It’s also safe to say that the blocking and protection among the two wasn’t the best either as Penn State’s overall protection in both the run and pass games was extremely poor throughout the season.
One player who was a pleasant surprise though was freshman Tyler Warren.
Warren was used in a number of unique ways this year including a special wildcat package that was used in short yardage and goal line situations.
Warren even threw the ball once out of the package this season as he hit Jahan Dotson on a pass during the win against Auburn in Week 3.
The Mechanicsville, Virginia, native presents some unique measurables at 6-foot-6, 252 pounds and can become a real weapon with the versatility he presented in 2021.
PREVIEW.....
There won’t be many changes to Ty Howle’s group for the 2022 season.
Strange, Johnson and Warren all return for the Nittany Lions and will once again be expected to take a step forward despite the struggles last year.
With Sean Clifford back, the tight ends will all have had plenty of experience with the veteran quarterback.
Plus, with most of the other offensive personnel returning, there really shouldn’t be many changes at all when it comes to reps and workload.
The only significant addition to the group comes in the form of four-star recruit Jerry Cross, who will likely take a backseat for much of the year and may even redshirt in year one despite his measurables and raw ability.
But considering how many talented tight ends Penn State has pumped out over the past decade, this could be a big development year for Cross and if he progresses through it quickly, he could definitely see the field at one point.
In order for this group to be more successful than they were last season, they’re gonna need the veterans to step up and have the type of production Franklin and the rest of the coaching staff were expecting last August.
Though that means Yurcich is going to have to make more of an effort to get the ball to his tight ends.
One of the attributes that is talked about most with both Strange and Johnson is their uncanny athleticism for their massive frames.
If they can get some guaranteed touches on first or second down when they can get some chunk yardage, it should allow other aspects of the offense to flow smoother given that both can be a threat in the flat and out of the screen game.
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