James Franklin believes Tyler Warren should be in Heisman conversation

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has been unbelievable in 2024, and James Franklin believes it’s time he’s mentioned in the Heisman conversation.

Warren continued to his incredible season against Purdue in Week 12, the highlight of the night being a 48-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The tight end also caught a touchdown in the contest, as the Nittany Lions advanced to 9-1 on the season.

That brought Warren’s statistics on the season to 67 receptions for 808 receiving yards and five touchdowns, 16 rushes for 157 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and 26 passing yards and a passing touchdown in 2024, as well. Franklin believes that’s Heisman quality, and it’s time to treat it as such.

“I’ve stated it earlier in the year, I’m stating it tonight, I think Tyler Warren should be a part of all the conversations that deal with the best football player in college football,” Franklin stated, following the win. “I don’t think it’s a question, and that’s all of those types of awards, including the Heisman.”

Aside from the championing of his tight end, Franklin explained what makes Warren such a special player, and why his success is something historic that all college football fans should behold.

“We’ve used him in this way in the past. It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve done it. What makes him probably more unique than most, is he checks a ton of boxes,” Franklin added. “What I mean by that is, you might want to use a guy like this, but they don’t have the football IQ to handle lining up in all the different positions. The motioning, the shifting, being able to block. Like, God forbid a tight end in today’s college football, and sometimes the NFL, block. Like, he does that too, and he takes great pride in it.

“I’ve said this before, but even just being able to use a cadence. A lot of time you put a guy back there and you’re trying to use a cadence and they’re not comfortable with doing it, and it messes it up with the center and the rhythm isn’t right. Running a quarterback sneak under center. Sometimes, in today’s college football, there’s some quarterbacks that haven’t taken a snap under center, let alone a tight end. So, I think all of these things that he can do, makes him valuable. A lot of times when you use a guy like that, they can’t throw. But the fact that he can throw keeps the defense honest. If it’s just, we put you back there and it’s a wildcat quarterback, and they’ve got every single person in the box, then that’s a totally different animal, and it’s much less challenging to defend.

“All of these little things that you can do with him, it’s a headache. It’s a headache. … Did I anticipate and predict us using him this way? Yes. This level of success? No, I don’t know if I would necessarily say that. I thought he’d have a good year. I think he’s having one of the more special years that I can remember, my 30 years, specifically, at that position, and again, I think he’s got to the point where this conversation exceeds just the position.”

Alas, Tyler Warren’s memorable 2024 continued over the weekend, and it’s looking more and more like he’s going to help Penn State get to the College Football Playoff. Perhaps that’s what it’ll take to get Heisman voters to notice him, like James Franklin believes they should.