Do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren brings a new dimension to No. 3 Penn State’s offense

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Andy Kotelnicki has coached plenty of versatile players over the years. None of them could do what Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is doing.

The hulking 6-foot-6, 260-pound Warren lined up in nine different spots, went in motion seven times, blocked, carried the ball, caught the ball and pitched the ball all on No. 3 Penn State’s first possession last week in an overtime win at Southern California.

Later, in his FBS record-tying 17-catch performance against the Trojans, Warren was the fulcrum for another Kotelnicki original when he motioned to the center spot, snapped the ball, sliced his way into the end zone and beat a defender for a touchdown that sparked Penn State’s comeback win.

Kotelnicki, in his first year as Penn State’s offensive coordinator, called it a play he could’ve drawn up playing backyard football, only possible with a player of Warren’s abilities and IQ.

“He’s pretty special,” Kotelnicki said. “Probably one of a kind in that sense. I’m really enjoying finding creative ways to get him the football and I appreciate his willingness to want to do creative things.”

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The Nittany Lions (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) travel to Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday having shown a new Warren wrinkle nearly every week. As a result, Penn State ranks 10th nationally in total offense after finishing no better than 34th each of the previous three seasons and has set itself up to make a run at the Big Ten championship.

Kotelnicki’s desire to get Warren the ball has played a big part.

The tight end leads Penn State with 40 catches for 513 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also carried five times for 38 yards and a score, and has completed two passes for 26 yards and another touchdown.

Warren is on pace to surpass the year Georgia tight end Brock Bowers had in 2022, one of the greatest seasons by an FBS tight end. The Bulldogs won the national championship that season and Bowers finished with 63 catches for 942 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games.

“I’ve been talking about him being the best tight end in college football, but the reality is he’s now part of a conversation of one of the best players in all of college football,” Penn State coach James Franklin said.

Warren has shrugged off all the praise.

“One guy usually will make a play but there are so many things that go into it and 10 other guys that had to do something for that one guy to make a play, so that’s just why I love football,” Warren said. “It takes a team. It takes the guys around you and that’s something I really enjoy.”

Sure, Penn State’s offensive line has been physical, running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton have delivered big plays, and quarterback Drew Allar has shown command of Kotelnicki’s offense from the start.

But they all know that Warren’s unique ability to touch the ball in nearly any phase makes them one of the toughest groups for opponents to slow down.

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen has been there before against versatile tight ends.

“It’s the one position that can put the most amount of duress on a defense,” Allen said. “He’s a huge issue.”

When Kotelnicki first met Warren in the weeks leading up to spring practice, he was determined to test the depth of the senior’s knowledge. Kotelnicki had seen a bunch of Warren’s collegiate tape and his high school basketball reel, but he still wanted to know how much Warren really understood offensive concepts.

Also, could he throw the ball?

The quiet, humble Warren, who passed for 3,654 yards in high school, was almost incredulous.

“He’s like, ‘Coach, I was a high school quarterback,’ ” Kotelnicki said. “All this is possible because he has that background athletically, but two, because he just does everything right. He’s a tell-you-once guy. ... The fact that he’s that kind of person and the fact that he has that athletic background makes it very feasible to do those things, and fun to be honest with you.”

So fun that former teammate Pat Freiermuth, on a visit to his alma mater over the summer, hung around a little longer at practice. He was intrigued by what Kotelnicki and Warren were working on. So much so that he even took a few mental notes back to Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“Even I was confused by all the formations and shifts and stuff they do to exploit a defense,” Freiermuth said. “I’ve never seen stuff like that.”

He expects to see Warren on Sundays soon.

“We understand the game at a level where we can understand where the holes in the defense are,” Freiermuth said. “We understand different route techniques and stuff like that and how to get open. He just has ‘it.’ He understands the game and when you understand the game, it makes it a lot slower.”

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