Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529598
1 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State star Tyler Warren may or may not make history by be- coming the first tight end to ever win the Paul Hornung Award, which goes annually to the nation's most versatile player. But he's already done something that no one at his position has ever accomplished: He's made the list of finalists. Warren is the first tight end ever to appear among the finalists for the Hor- nung Award, which dates back to 2010. The Nittany Lion senior is one of three players vying for the honor. Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is also in the running and is the likely winner, having amassed 74 catches for 911 yards and 9 touchdowns as a wide receiver while also totaling 23 tackles and 3 in- terceptions as a starting cornerback. Louisville running back and return specialist Isaac Brown rounds out the trio of finalists. Through 10 games, he had rushed 108 times for 803 yards and 7 touchdowns, caught 26 passes for 131 yards and a score, and was averaging 17.6 yards on kickoff returns and 4.5 on punt returns. Warren's numbers are formidable as well. Through 10 games, he had totaled 67 catches for 808 yards and 5 scores while rushing 16 times for 157 yards and 4 touchdowns and completing 2 of 4 pass- ing attempts for 26 yards and a score. In Penn State's 35-6 victory over Washington on Nov. 9, Warren caught 8 passes for 75 yards, and he also had a pair of 2-yard rushing touchdowns on which he lined up as a wildcat quarterback. A week later against Purdue, he amassed 190 total yards and scored rushing and receiving touchdowns in a 49-10 win. In the fourth quarter of the victory over Washington, Warren passed Mike Gesicki for most catches by a Penn State tight end in a single season. Gesicki had 57 receptions for 563 yards in 2017. Warren arrived at Penn State in 2020 out of Atlee High in Mechanicsville, Va. He didn't overlap with Gesicki, a 2018 draftee of the Miami Dolphins who cur- rently plays for the Cincinnati Bengals. But Warren did play alongside some other future pros in Pat Freiermuth (Pittsburgh), Brenton Strange (Jack- sonville) and Theo Johnson (New York Giants), and now he's assured of a place alongside those names in the pantheon of all-time PSU greats at the position. "To be in that conversation with as many great tight ends who have played here and that I played with is special to me," Warren said following the win over Washington. "That's what makes it special, knowing the guys that have been here and how talented Penn State tight ends are." Regardless of what the Hornung Award voters decide, Warren's inclusion among the finalists is the latest recogni- tion of his stellar season. The full extent of his contributions is laid out in his Horning Award bio: "Primarily a tight end, Tyler Warren also lines up at wingback, fullback, slot, halfback, wide receiver, wildcat quarter- back and long snapper in a center-eligible Tyler Warren Leads PSU's Contingent Of Postseason Award Candidates G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M NEWS & NOTES Warren has scored touchdowns as both a receiver and rusher this year, and he also threw a TD pass to junior running back Nicholas Singleton in Penn State's victory over Kent State. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS