Penn State Sports Magazine
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6 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State head coach James Franklin isn't scared of speaking his mind about certain players or position groups before a season. For example, Franklin had a strong statement about his tight end group last year. "I think our tight end room, you could argue that it's one of the best groups we've got from top to bottom," he said As a refresher, here's the context of that comment: During the offseason, 6-foot-6, 256-pound Theo Johnson set a Penn State tight end record for the 40-yard dash at 4.51 seconds. His team- mates Brenton Strange (6-3, 250) and Tyler Warren (6-6, 252) ran 4.64 40- yard dashes, also impressive times. Penn State's tight ends were big, strong and fast. Yet, they were unproven. Fast forward to the end of the season, and that group never truly lived up to the hype and expectations. Now a third- year sophomore, Johnson turned in few consistent performances as a receiver, finishing with only 18 receptions for 212 yards. Strange, now a redshirt junior, was hardly better with 20 receptions for 225 yards. Warren, who will be a third-year sophomore this fall, didn't make much of an impact until later in the season and hauled in 6 of 9 targets. While Warren and Strange stepped up their performances as run blockers after the unit was called out a month into the season by Franklin, Johnson never turned the corner in that aspect. Instead, the converted wide receiver struggled with the technical and physical aspects of blocking all season. Heading into 2022, it's a significant evaluation point this season to gauge improvement. So, what happened? First, let's note that they did not play well or produce much independently. Strange and Johnson combined for 6 total broken tackles, according to Pro Football Focus last season. That's 10 fewer than 5-10 receiver Parker Washington, who led the team as a second-year freshman. They also hauled in 1 contested catch the previous season, with Johnson having zero targets while covered. For big, strong receivers, that's unacceptable. But opportunity is a massive part of the production. Combined, Strange and Johnson tallied 61 targets, two more than receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith, who finished third on the team in targets as a second-year freshman. Superstar receiver Jahan Dotson's presence (137 targets) smothered the opportunity for other players and positions. The quality of those opportunities matters as well. Eight of Johnson's 18 catches were over the middle of the field but were either less than 10 yards or behind the line of scrimmage. Strange had a similar fate with 9 of his targets in this shallow area where defenders can quickly converge on pass catchers. This is where quarterback Sean Clif- ford comes in. When watching the film of Clifford's fifth-year senior season, you see opportunities to get the ball to re- ceivers, including the tight ends, in more aggressive windows downfield. Typically, tight ends operate over the congested middle of the field and do their damage by running over smaller defenders. If they don't have those op- portunities, they can't produce. Clifford threw just 20 percent of his total passes down the middle of the field by more than 10 yards. Forget that most of those targets went to Dotson and Washington; the rest were split up be- tween the three players at the tight end position. Because the team lacks a genu- inely top player, the perception is even worse than the reality. Year 2 in offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich's system might help with this is- sue. Confidence and trust in your under- standing of the offense can go a long way. "I think [it's a matter of] just being able to identify things a little bit quicker, anticipate faster, all the things from a mental standpoint, from the neck up," Yurcich said earlier this summer. Almost all football plays have mul- tiple receiving options from which the quarterback can choose. The defense can take specific routes away on a play, but usually, there's an option at each level of the defense for the quarterback to throw to. Passers who play with the recognition and anticipation Yurich describes can push the ball down the field to more ag- gressive options on plays. If there's one thing that separates good quarterbacks from great ones, it might be this trait. Yurcich said Clifford has the tools he needs to accomplish this goal in his final season at Penn State. "When his feet are right and his thinking is correct, he's a very accurate passer," Yurcich said. As with most football-related topics, the lack of production by the tight ends in 2021 wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. That group undeniably under- performed in individual evaluation, but the tight ends received relatively few quality targets to convert over the course of the season. Aside from the improvement in indi- vidual run blocking, the most significant improvement might be the ever-evasive chemistry. If the quarterback trusts his tight ends more, they'll see more targets over the middle of the field. That is, if he trusts himself first. ■ O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR TFRANK.CARR@ON3.COM Brenton Strange led Penn State's three-man tight end contingent last season with 20 receptions for 225 yards. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL For Tight Ends, Improved Chemistry Is Key To Unlocking Productivity JUDGMENT CALL