Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
3 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M "I didn't think we played as well at the tight end position, especially in the run- ning game, as we have in the past," Frank- lin said. The tight ends took that criticism to heart. "I definitely take a lot of pride in that. It's something that the best tight ends at the next level get paid to do," Strange said. "So there's room for im- provement for us. We haven't done what we want to do in the running game so far this year." Added Warren, "What's good about our room is that we can be honest with our- selves. Me, Brenton and Theo, we all knew that wasn't our standard, that's not how we hold ourselves when we're playing." It makes sense that blocking would be a hurdle for Penn State's current tight end group. In high school, Strange and John- son were mostly asked to catch passes, while Warren was asked to throw them. Blocking was not their top priority, and it isn't the easiest discipline to master at the college level. Warren readily ad- mits that it's been a bigger challenge than he expected when he made the switch to tight end. "I underestimated the blocking as- pect of it and how much your technique and fundamentals go into that," he said. "When you get to this level, you're not strong enough to just move someone on your own. You've got to have certain tech- niques and know what you're doing to be able to do it. That was one of the biggest things for me, getting the blocking right. And I'm still working at it, still trying to get better as an overall tight end." In addition to having more room for improvement, the Nittany Lion tight end corps has ample time in which to make the necessary strides. Strange and John- son have sophomore eligibility, while Warren is only seeing action for the first time this year. The combination of time and untapped potential has given rise to high expectations, both inside and out- side of the Lasch Building. But the tight ends are unfazed by the realization that there's still plenty of work ahead. That's because they're more eager than anyone to ensure that Penn State makes the most of all that ability. "I think there's a lot more in the tank when it comes to our offense," Johnson said. "We still have a lot more to show and a lot more to prove. I think that's the most exciting part. We're doing so well right now, and we're still nowhere near what we're capable of doing as an offense. I think that's pretty exciting." ■ 2022 Blue-White Game Slated For April 23 Penn State hasn't staged a conventional Blue-White Game since April 2019, but it appears that the spring tradition is set to return next year. PSU has announced that the Blue-White Game will take place on April 23, 2022, at Beaver Stadium. The intra-squad scrim- mage is tentatively scheduled for an early to midafternoon kickoff. More details about the game and related events will be an- nounced after the 2021 regular season. In 2020, Penn State canceled the Blue- White Game, along with the entirety of spring practice, due to the COVID-19 pan- demic. This past spring, the Nittany Lions conducted a pair of open practices with limited attendance. Sophomore Theo Johnson was the No. 4 tight end prospect in the class of 2019 according to Rivals.com. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL