Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1332070
When he arrived at Penn State, Strange figured his biggest challenge would be to adapt to the physical demands of the college game. But he found that when he stopped skipping meals and began eat- ing a diet designed to help him add mus- cle, the pounds started to pile up. All calories are not created equal, of course, and quality was important. But so was quantity. When he went home, his rela- tives would kid him about how much he was eating. Said Strange, "They would be like, 'Dang, you're eating for two peo- ple.' I'm like, 'That's what I've got to do to keep this weight on me.'" The bigger hurdle turned out to be mental. Having played wideout and out- side linebacker in high school, he simply didn't know the tight end position very well. "I really didn't know how to run block," he said. "I would be doing too much sometimes. I really had to lock in and learn what to do and how to do it – know my what, my why and my how." Strange saw action in two games as a true freshman in 2019, catching a touch- down pass in the Lions' season-opening rout of Idaho. He missed out on what would likely have been a productive spring practice when the pandemic brought all sports activities to a halt, but by the time preseason practice began this past fall, he felt like he understood the position well enough to make an impact. When he found out prior to the Iowa game that he was going to be starting, he said his thoughts turned first to Freier- muth. "I was definitely hurt," he said, "because Pat is family to me." And after that? "Obviously, I was nervous for a while," he said. "But I knew that I had prepared for this. I knew this was something that I had prepared for my whole entire life." Strange said it took only a play or two against the Hawkeyes for his nerves to settle down. After that, there was only excitement. "I knew it was an opportu- nity that I had to take advantage of," he said. "I knew that Pat Freiermuth had been playing tight end and starting here, and I knew that [to take his place], I had to step up big time." ■ STRONG START Strange made five starts in 2020 and finished as the Nittany Lions' fourth-leading re- ceiver with 17 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns. Photo cour- tesy of Penn State Athletics