Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1528325
N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 13 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State placed three players on the Senior Bowl's Midseason All-America team. On offense, senior tight end Tyler Warren and junior running back Nicholas Singleton were among the 12 players hon- ored, while senior safety Jaylen Reed was included on the defensive list. Honorees were selected based on film review and conversations with coaches and NFL per- sonnel evaluators. Penn State coach James Franklin has called Warren "the best tight end in col- lege football." Through six games, the se- nior was by far the team's top pass catcher. Heading into the Lions' visit to Wisconsin, he had caught 40 passes for 513 yards and 4 touchdowns. Coming off an incredible performance against USC in which he tied an FBS record for tight ends with 17 re- ceptions for 224 yards and a touchdown, Warren was tied for fourth in the Big Ten in catches and sixth in receiving yards. Warren had also rushed 5 times for 38 yards and a touchdown and had com- pleted both of his passing attempts for 26 yards and another score. Through six games, his 90.0 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus was the team's best. "When they can't put Tyler Warren into a category, that's what makes tight ends the most valuable," Franklin said. "If he's just a receiver, they can treat him like a re- ceiver. If he's just a big run-blocking slug, then that's not a threat either. But when he can do either/or, it makes it very, very difficult to defend." Like Warren, Singleton has also thrived in first-year coordinator Andy Kotelnicki's offense. Despite missing Penn State's game against UCLA on Oct. 5 for health reasons, the junior running back was 10th in the Big Ten in rushing with 434 yards and 3 touchdowns. In addition, he had caught 10 passes for 113 yards and 3 scores. Meanwhile, Reed has been similarly important to the Nittany Lion defense. The veteran has had to make an in-season transition from his planned role as the "Lion" in coordinator Tom Allen's defense to a more conventional safety spot fol- lowing a long-term injury to junior Kevin Winston Jr. Through six games, Reed was leading the team with 39 tackles and had added an interception, 2 pass breakups and 1.5 sacks. — Nate Bauer FRANKLIN ADDRESSES QUARTERBACK DEPTH Penn State lost backup quarterback Jaxon Smolik to a long-term injury ear- lier this year. The redshirt freshman from West Des Moines, Iowa, suffered an undisclosed setback midway through spring practice. However, he was on the travel roster for the team's opener against West Virginia and has been taking part in pregame warmups ahead of subsequent games. "Jaxon is able to do only what you have seen so far," coach James Franklin said. "He's been cleared to throw pat-and-go's in pregame. That's just kind of where he's at." It's unclear if the signal-caller will be cleared to return to action this season. While he's sidelined, true freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer has moved up to the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind junior Drew Allar and redshirt sophomore Beau Pribula. There had been speculation that Grunkemeyer might see some snaps dur- ing Penn State's 56-0 blowout of Kent State on Sept. 21. It was a consideration, Franklin said, but the Lions opted to go in a different direction, giving Pribula 48 snaps in the game. "Grunk has done some really nice things," Franklin said. "He's been able to get a ton of reps [in practice], kind of like what Jaxon was able to get last year, and he's done a really nice job with it. He throws the ball extremely well. He's mo- bile. He's really learning this stuff. "There were some conversations about getting [Grunkemeyer] in the game, but we want to make sure Beau is getting as many reps as possible. These conversa- tions are kind of ongoing, but we're very, very happy with Grunk, and we can't wait to get Jaxon back." — Greg Pickel FORMER RAVENS ASSISTANT JOINS STAFF AS ANALYST Penn State has added a longtime NFL assistant and Pennsylvania native to its lengthy roster of analysts. Former Balti- more Ravens quarterbacks coach James Urban is now a member of James Frank- lin's staff, having been named offensive analyst and analytics coordinator. Urban comes to State College after spending the past six years with the Ra- vens. In the first five of those seasons, he served as quarterbacks coach for the AFC North team. He was named senior football analyst ahead of Baltimore's 2023 season and left the team this past February. Urban, 50, is from Mechanicsburg, Pa., and played at Trinity High School. In ad- dition to his tenure with the Ravens, he spent seven seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals' receivers coach. He broke into the professional ranks as an assistant to the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, spending seven seasons with the franchise. — Greg Pickel Nittany Lion Trio Makes Midseason All-America Team Nicholas Singleton was honored after totaling 434 rush- ing yards and 113 receiving yards in the first half of Penn State's season. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL