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Penn State positional outlook: Breaking down the long-term picture at tight end

IMG_1698 5 (1)by:David Eckert•02/10/22•

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STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 13: Theo Johnson #84 of the Penn State Nittany Lions stretches the ball towards the pylon during the first half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Beaver Stadium on November 13, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

BWI is analyzing the depth and overall outlook of each Penn State football position group at this point in the offseason, continuing today with the tight ends.

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wideouts

*Players in italics took a redshirt season

PositionSeniorsJuniorsSophomoresFreshmen
TEBrenton Strange
Theo Johnson		Tyler WarrenJerry Cross
Khalil Dinkins

Sixth year:

None

Fifth year:

None

Fourth year:

Brenton Strange

Strange started all 13 of Penn State’s games this season, but in reality he split time pretty evenly with Theo Johnson, playing 593 snaps to Johnson’s 496, according to Pro Football Focus. Strange earned a 61.7 overall offensive grade from PFF this season, compiling 225 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Third year:

Theo Johnson

Johnson’s second year on campus saw him earn more regular playing time, having played a bit as a true freshman after starter Pat Freiermuth went down injured. Johnson did well on the 48 occasions he was asked to pass block, earning a 73.9 grade in that department from PFF. As a run blocker, though, he struggled, with a 50.5 grade. He caught 19 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown in the receiving game.

“I think there’s been some games where they’ve played extremely well,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said of his tight ends this season. “I think there’s been some games where we’ve really gotten them involved and they’ve had an impact, I think there’s been some games where we probably should have gotten them more involved.”

Tyler Warren

Perhaps surprisingly to some, Warren emerged to carve out a role for himself in Penn State’s offense this season. He played 227 snaps for the Nittany Lions, who did not hesitate to use three tight-end sets under first-year OC Mike Yurcich. A quarterback in high school, Warren also took a few snaps in the wildcat formation, rushing for a pair of touchdowns. He finished the season with five catches for 61 yards and a score.

“There’s been an excitement about Tyler really since we got him in the recruiting process,” Franklin said early in 2021. “…We felt like we had an opportunity to develop him and take advantage of his skills and talent.”

Second year:

Khalil Dinkins

Dinkins played two snaps during his true freshman season, seeing action in Week 12 against Rutgers when the Nittany Lions had many players suffering from the flu. A three-star prospect according to the On3 Consensus in the Class of 2021, it will be interesting to see if Dinkins can push for more snaps with three players ahead of him on the depth chart.

First year:

Jerry Cross

Cross is the only tight end prospect in Penn State’s Class of 2022. A native of Wisconsin, the On3 Consensus ranks Cross as the No. 258 overall recruit in the 2022 cycle, the No. 12 tight end, and the No. 5 prospect out of Wisconsin. Standing at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, Cross enrolled early this winter.

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