Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1511150
2 2 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M niques had carried over to his new role. To Warren, battling defenders for 50-50 balls was not unlike boxing out an opponent while going for a rebound. "I think the basketball part actually helps a lot as a tight end," he said. After redshirting his first year on cam- pus, Warren caught 5 passes for 61 yards in 2021. Penn State also took advantage of his prowess as a quarterback, calling on him to throw on a series of goal-line gadget plays and getting 2 touchdown passes against unsuspecting defenses. The following year, Warren caught 10 passes for 123 yards and 3 scores. And now, having bulked up to 257 pounds, he's having the best season of his career. "He's been really good," Franklin said. "He's had a great career, and we think he's going to continue to have a really good career, not only the second half of this season but moving forward." A Quick Ascent Johnson's transition to the college level was quicker than Warren's. His glittery high school resume suggested that would be the case, and when Freiermuth was injured midway through the 2020 season, Johnson was ready to step into a backup role behind Strange, PSU's newly depu- tized starter. The Windsor, Ontario, na- tive ended up catching 4 passes that year for 56 yards. Johnson has been a key player for the Lions ever since, totaling 39 catches for 541 yards and 5 touchdowns as Strange's backup during the 2021 and '22 seasons. His goal going into the 2023 season was to develop into more than just a reliable pass catcher. He also wanted to be a team leader. The 6-6, 260-pounder made a conscious effort in the offseason to be more vo- cal than he had been in the past, noting that he "saw a need and saw that [leadership] was lacking a bit." Johnson's teammates recognized his potential in that area, naming him one of six captains in August. He called it "one of the biggest honors you can re- ceive." "I think I've been very intentional with my leadership," Johnson said. "I've put a huge focus on that. It wasn't a difficult transition for me, stepping into this big- ger role. I feel like it's something I've pos- sessed for a long time but have never had the opportunity and really didn't feel like it was my place until this season. I felt like there's a need, and I had an ability to help our team in that area." Striving For Versatility It's gotten harder over the years to develop tight ends, Franklin said, be- cause young players tend to fixate on the more glamorous aspects of the po- sition rather than doing the dirty work that is often required at the college and pro levels. "What are you doing in the backyard with your dad? What are you doing with your buddies?" Franklin asked. "Do you think tight ends are hitting a blocking sled in their backyard or out with their buddies? No. They're catching balls and running routes." What's more, he said, high schools are often deploying tight ends as super- sized wide receivers rather than in their more-traditional roles. That means they're less prepared for the totality of the college game than they used to be. It's a problem, Franklin said, because players with NFL aspirations often end up arriving in college without the full range of skills they need to prosper. "If you're just a receiving tight end, there are going to be a number of teams that want you, but not every team," he said. "If you're just a blocker, there are going to be a number of teams that want you. But, if you can do both, all 32 teams want those guys. We need that at our level, and it's also going to help them long-term to buy into that and invest in it." Penn State has had four tight ends drafted since the first Franklin-coached Nittany Lion players entered the league in 2015. Freiermuth and Strange are both on NFL rosters presently, as is Mike Ge- sicki, one of the stars of PSU's 2016 Big Theo Johnson has been one of Penn State's most reliable pass catchers this season, ranking second on the team with 24 receptions for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns through nine games. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL "We've been playing together for four years — we know what we're both thinking without having to ask. It's hard to explain, but we do it in practice every day." W A R R E N O N H I S R A P P O R T W I T H J O H N S O N