James Franklin has made his case crystal clear. He believes Penn State tight end Tyler Warren should be in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy. He also believes Warren, the multi-threat weapon who leads the Nittany Lions with 965 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns, will be the “first tight end” selected in the NFL Draft.
Warren’s success this season is the pinnacle of a remarkable tenure under tight ends coach Ty Howle, who has helped develop three NFL starters since joining the Nittany Lions in 2020. Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Mike Gesicki have led the way professionally for a program that now feels it’s worthy of the Tight End U title.
“There’s no school in the country, there’s no program in the country that is doing what we are doing with tight ends right now and really over the last 10 years,” Franklin said on Monday. “Ty Howle has come into that position as a Penn State letterman, and I think has taken it to a whole other level. We’re recruiting the best tight ends in the country; we’re developing the best tight ends in the country.”
Franklin walked down the extensive line of recruits after Penn State’s 35-6 win over Washington on Nov. 9 and greeted each prospect in attendance. Among the high-profile recruits he embraced were a contingent of the nation’s top high school tight ends. Five-star Kendre Harrison was there. So were four-stars Ian Premer, Mack Sutter, JC Anderson and Evan Jacobson.
The week before, four-star Michigan commit Andrew Olesh was in town on a visit.
The Nittany Lions are attracting the nation’s best tight end recruits at an accelerating rate. That’s significantly due to the success of Warren and the NFL tight ends that were developed at Penn State prior to his emergence. And even after Warren’s departure, the future looks bright at a position filled with blossoming talent in Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea.
Franklin hardly has to stress to high school tight ends that their experience with the Nittany Lions would be opportunistic. It’s already in the tape.
“If you’re a great tight end in the country, and specifically in the state of Pennsylvania, I don’t know how you couldn’t come here,” Franklin said. “Like, there’s just too much history, there’s too much data and there’s too many things saying that you don’t need to go anywhere else. You can stay home and get everything you want in terms of your college career and also setting yourself up for your future.”
Here are some other notes from Franklin’s weekly press conference on Monday.
CARTER LIVING UP TO NFL DRAFT GRADE
Abdul Carter raced across the field and lunged onto the back of Purdue’s C.J. Smith to force a punt. It was a play that Franklin called his “favorite” within a game that saw a handful of highlights from the Nittany Lions. It was a play that the typical defensive end, stocky and stuck to the line of scrimmage, typically wouldn’t make.
There’s a reason Carter has been graded as one of the top overall prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft. His impact has extended well beyond the backfield, where he’s already made his mark with eight sacks and a Big Ten-leading 18 tackles for loss, which ranks second nationally. All the while, he’s found success despite numerous uncalled holds throughout the year.
“When you watch the tape, the guy is impactful, whether it’s sacks, whether it’s tackles for loss, whether it’s holding calls, whether it is obvious that they have a specific plan in how they’re trying to limit his impact,” Franklin said. “… He is impacting the game and in a number of ways, which creates opportunities for other guys on our defensive line and within our defense, and causes a lot of headaches.”
WHERE WAS GRUNKEMEYER?
The game was well out of reach midway through the third quarter. But as 12 true freshmen rotated in for their opportunities, quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer stood on the sideline. Franklin stuck with backup Beau Pribula for the remainder of the game, leaving Grunkemeyer again in search of his collegiate debut.
“Beau needs and deserves as many reps that he can get,” Franklin said. “He’s been an unbelievable teammate. He’s been a huge part of our offense and our system. And just like we saw a few weeks back, he was able to go in there and win a game for us, and that development is critical. And like I’ve said before, whether it’s practice or games, if you’re trying to get three guys ready, a lot of times, you end up getting nobody ready.”
Franklin said Grunkemeyer receives “about 24 reps” in live scrimmages every Sunday, reps that Pribula “never gets.” It’s unclear what the Nittany Lions’ quarterback situation will be next season — whether Drew Allar stays or leaves, whether Pribula stays or transfers. Any scenario is likely to leave Grunkemeyer in a novel position in 2025.
“I think when Grunk is in a similar position, he’ll want those reps, as well,” Franklin said, “whether it’s as the starting quarterback, backup quarterback, he’s going to want every rep he can get.”
