Penn State preseason primer on tight ends: BWI Daily
Penn State’s tight end room received high praise before the 2021 season. Head coach James Franklin called them the deepest and most talented group he’s coached at that position in his career. Now, the same faces return in the same roles for the fall.
Penn State head coach James Franklin and his offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich haven’t backed off from their optimism this year, so what will change? Host Thomas Frank Carr and senior editor Nate Bauer will try to answer as they preview the tight end position for the 2022 football season.
Penn State returns a strong group at tight end
They start with a review of last season and introduce the trio of Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson, and Tyler Warren. Next, they discuss the facts behind the tight end group’s lack of production last season. Then, T-Frank cites some important receiving metrics they fell short in, and Nate gives context to them. They also discuss factors outside the position’s control. For example, they dive into how the quarterback’s willingness to throw the ball over the middle of the field and which receivers took important targets away from the group.
More football: What is on the Penn State football checklist in August?
Will they live up to expectations?
They discuss which X-factor will change the course of the season for Strange, Johnson, and Warren before looking at the young players. Finally, they offer a stock up or down prediction to close the show.
Penn State football preseason primer: Defensive End
A missing piece from the 2021 season takes center stage for the Penn State Nittany Lions this fall. Redshirt junior defensive end Adisa Isaac was supposed to pair with Temple transfer Arnold Ebikeite at EDGE for former defensive coordinator Brent Pry last year. Unfortunately, a serious injury during the summer prevented him from doing that. Now, he’s back and presumably healthy and ready to pair with a new transfer at the position. It was a move that Penn State head coach James Franklin signaled would happen during spring practice, specifically because of a lack of pass rush.
“We need more consistent edge pressure,” he said. “So between the guys we have, and obviously we’re looking into the portal with that, very similar with what we did with AK (Ebiketie). We’ve got to find somebody who can come in and help us with edge pressure and affecting the quarterback.”
That pressure is key to creating the symbiosis that defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is looking for in his unit.
“Now, the relationship between the pass coverage and pass rush, it’s one of my favorite things. It’s what’s so cool about coaching defense. You cannot stop the run without everybody being exactly where they need to be. And you got to fit that up against all the runs and all the formations that an offense has. But the same thing is true in the passing game because, you can have the best pass rusher in the world, but if the quarterback’s not holding on to the ball, he can get the ball out. So you’ve got to be able to get the quarterback off the first look. Make him at least hold the ball where your rush has a chance,” he told BWI in an exclusive interview this summer.
Today, we’re taking a look at which players are responsible for getting that pressure.
To read the rest of this preseason primer, click here.
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