Penn State Football Positional Previews: Tight Ends

Penn State enters the 2024 season looking to find a new sense of explosiveness and lethality in the passing game under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. With new and returning talent joining the tight end room, there should be plenty of options for Kotelnicki to work with this year and beyond. Here's a preview of Penn State's tight end group.

Last Year: Penn State fielded a formidable one-two punch at tight end last season between Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren, with others waiting in the wings. Johnson proved to be an every-down pass catcher and one of the most reliable weapons in Penn State's offense, while Warren continued to be a red zone threat who rarely dropped passes that were on the money. There might have been groups that put up better numbers or slightly more impressive plays, but these two gave Penn State a lot to lean on. James Franklin has yet to have a bad tight end room, and 2023 was no different.

New Faces, Returners, Losses: Penn State will enter the 2024 season without Theo Johnson following his departure to the NFL, but the return of Warren provides the Nittany Lions with a lot of stability for quarterback Drew Allar and the rest of the offense. Who steps up alongside Warren will be a big question for Penn State to answer, be it the likes of Jerry Cross or true freshman Luke Reynolds. A better wager would be Khalil Dinkins who seems best poised to be a breakout player this season at both the local and national level. You can assume that Warren will get the bulk of the work when it comes to actual targets, but somebody will need to step up behind him in an offense that will almost certainly continue to feature multiple tight end looks. Put your money on Dinkins if you're into that kind of wagering: the 6-foot-4 target only caught four passes last year but looked good in the process. Yes, that is possible after just four receptions.

The Storyline: Warren returning was a huge boost for a Penn State offense looking to redefine itself, but it will need depth behind him to continue to turn this room into as much of an asset as it has been in the past. There's no reason to think tight ends coach Ty Howle won't be able to reload depth behind Warren with the number of options he has to work with. Penn State will be grateful for Warren's return all year long, so too will Reynolds, a tight end of the future, able to learn until the longtime veteran.

Overall: Penn State has had quality tight end work for nearly all of the James Franklin era and there's no real reason to think this group won't continue that trend. Warren will need to prove that he can be more than just a red zone threat when it comes to explosive plays, but he's a talented player who works hard, no reason to think he can't, especially when he's given that role a lot more often than he was in the past.

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