Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M a Penn State fan base that didn't really know what to expect from the former quarterback. And to hear his teammates tell it, he still might not be getting his due. Even after his touchdown against Auburn, Johnson referred to him as "probably the best-kept secret we have on our team." "He's as capable as anybody we have in the tight end room," Johnson said. "It was just a matter of time before people started seeing him make plays, because he consistently is a playmaker in practice and was throughout [preseason] camp. Seeing him make plays is great, but it's nothing that anybody on our team is sur- prised by, because he's been doing it this whole year." One of the reasons why Penn State has been enjoying success at the position is because it hasn't had to rush the develop- ment of its tight ends the past few years. In 2014 and '15, the Lions were forced to give nine starts to Mike Gesicki, a four- star signee in the team's 2014 recruiting class. Gesicki struggled with drops and seemed to be on the wrong track. As it turned out, all he needed was a bit more time. Gesicki was spectacular his junior and senior seasons, setting a Penn State career record for tight ends with his 129 catches, and he went on become a second-round selection by the Miami Dolphins in the 2018 NFL Draft. Seven years removed from Gesicki's up-and-down debut, the Lions are in a much different place as a program and have the luxury of redshirting players like Warren and Strange if necessary. "We're able to get these guys in here and develop them and sometimes red- shirt them and put them on the scout team to develop their game," Franklin said. "Early on, from a depth perspec- tive, if you were talented, we had to get you on the field maybe before you were ready in some areas. You think about Mike Gesicki's journey here early on, not only in the run game but even in the pass game, and it's probably because he was out there a little bit earlier than he should have been. So I think that's probably the biggest difference. "We're at a different point in our pro- gram, and the [current tight ends] were able to be brought on a little more slowly and develop some of those areas that may be weaknesses early on." While the results have been encourag- ing so far, there's still work to be done. Following Penn State's 38-17 victory over Villanova Sept. 25, Franklin pointed to the tight ends' blocking as one of the rea- sons why the Lions had only managed 80 rushing yards against their FCS oppo- nent. Strange might be one of the team's better blockers, but as a group, the tight ends didn't impress in their nonconfer- ence finale. Penn State's football program is known for producing linebackers. The list of star Nittany Lion linebackers who have gone on to make positive impacts in the NFL over the years is long. But, in recent times, Penn State has emerged as something of a tight end factory as well. In fact, the Nittany Lions had four tight ends on NFL rosters around the league as of early October, a figure that surpassed their line- backer total. Mike Gesicki, Jesse James and rookie Pat Freiermuth are all plying their trade in the league. Nick Bowers can also claim a place on an active roster with the Las Vegas Raiders, although he has yet to see game action. From a production perspective, Gesicki has been the most prolific member of that quartet. Despite playing for a Miami Dolphins offense that lost start- ing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in the first week of the season, Gesicki was tied for ninth among tight ends with 184 yards on 18 receptions through the season's first four weeks. He also found the end zone for the first time this season in Week 4. James, now with the Chicago Bears, had yet to catch a pass this season, but he's still contributing in his seventh year in the league, having earned 33 total offensive snaps through four weeks while playing a key role on special teams as well. Freiermuth, for his part, wasted little time planting his flag in the NFL. Despite coming in behind veteran tight end Eric Ebron at the Pittsburgh Steelers' camp, Freiermuth played at least 50 percent of the snaps in three of the team's first four games, picking up nine receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown. "Pat, like all the other young guys that we've been talking about, is really getting better with each opportunity," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters in September. "He has been a really positive contributor to our efforts thus far, so I'm excited about what the short-term and long-term future holds for him." Those who follow recruiting know that every small success a Penn State player experiences at the next level matters to the future of the program, but they're also providing an example for those currently wearing the blue and white. The Nittany Lions have a talented group of tight ends who are closely watching what Freiermuth and the rest of the Penn State alumni are doing in the NFL. "It's good to see those guys who came through here make plays," sopho- more Theo Johnson said. "It kind of reminds you what the standard is in the tight end room. We come from a long line of very dominant tight ends at the college level and moving on to the pro level." Certainly, there are players in Penn State's current tight end room who are capable of playing at that next level. Johnson and Brenton Strange both have athleticism in spades. That hasn't necessarily translated into production in the passing game this season for the Nittany Lions — not consistently, anyway. The three-way time share of Strange, Johnson and Tyler Warren has ebbed and flowed so far this season, combining for 233 receiving yards through five games. Still, Strange feels as though the Nittany Lions are doing the little things well at the tight end position. "As a tight end, we do a lot of behind-the-scenes work," Strange said. "We impact the run game a lot, the passing game and pass protection, too. There's a lot of behind-the-scenes work that our teammates notice that maybe you guys don't." Whether things are going well or not, Penn State's tight ends need only turn on the television on Sundays to remember what's expected of them. "You just know what the standard is," Johnson said. "You know what you have to work toward, and I think that all of us are ready to live up to that standard." — David Eckert Penn State Pros Inspire Current Tight End Corps