UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Tyler Warren is well acquainted with taking snaps from behind the center.
A former all-state honoree at quarterback for Atlee High School in Mechanicsville, Va., the redshirt freshman tight end is the main event whenever Penn State’s special short yardage package resurfaces. Redshirt senior quarterback Sean Clifford splits out wide at receiver and the 6-foot-6, 252-pound Warren then finds himself receiving the ball before attempting to charge into the end zone.
He’s already plowed ahead for two rushing touchdowns on three attempts this fall, slotting him at second on the team in running scores despite primarily operating at tight end.
“It just adds another dimension,” Warren said. “I can run or pass and deal with snap counts and stuff like that. It’s just something I’m used to.”
Prior to the Auburn game, during which he found pay dirt to put the Nittany Lions up 21-10 en route to a White Out victory, Warren had last taken a snap as a field general in his final high school football game back in 2019.
Since then, Warren’s committed himself to switching from a gunslinger to a blocking and pass-catching threat. While making the transition, the former high school baseball and basketball player has leaned in part on his well-rounded athleticism.
“Playing different sports, you just get a different feel for different situations. It’s not all football,” Warren said. “Catching a baseball or going up and catching the basketball for a rebound, they just give you a different perspective on just doing those movements.”
Warren said the other two sports he played in high school have helped with catching balls and his hand-eye coordination. His prior experience may have given him a head start at switching spots on offense, but preparing for the rigors of blocking at tight end came without a first crack.
The move to tight end wasn’t perfectly seamless for Warren, largely because he didn’t fully grasp what went into the blocking aspect of the spot.
“It wasn’t as easy as I thought it might have been,” Warren said. “I underestimated the blocking aspect of it and how much actual technique and fundamentals go into it. When you get to this level, you’re not strong enough just to move someone on your own.”
Between run and pass blocking, Warren has found the former to be harder to learn than the latter. Yet redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Caedan Wallace was nothing but complimentary of Warren’s work through four games at engaging defenders in the trenches.
“Tyler’s a really physical guy,” Wallace said. “He likes to put his head in there, drive guys in the run game.”
Still, Warren finds himself receiving less playing time at tight end than redshirt sophomore Brenton Strange and sophomore Theo Johnson. The aforementioned duo has been productive in a select number of opportunities, totaling 181 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 catches.
The preference for Strange and Johnson over Warren is a testament to the tight end group James Franklin and tight ends coach Ty Howle have put together.
“We want to rotate all three of those guys,” Franklin said. “Right now, [Warren’s] third on the depth chart of three really talented guys. There’s not a situation that we would be uncomfortable putting Tyler in the game.”
Warren has garnered various coaches’ trust and totaled three rushing attempts, but he has yet to throw a pass out of that special package. So far, the only non-quarterback on roster to throw a pass is senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who did so against Auburn.
A “bright” player who Clifford noted works “extremely hard,” Warren will just have to continue waiting to channel the aerial abilities he once put on full display in the Richmond area.
“Being a former quarterback, it’s good that he’s able to get in that package because it really mixes some things up,” Clifford said. “I think he’s done a really good job with that package, as well. [I’m] excited to keep expanding with it.”
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1.
First Published: October 1, 2021, 12:00 p.m.
