Penn State Q&A: Ty Howle talks Luke Reynolds' development, Khalil Dinkins, and more

Penn State can travel 80 players to West Virginia on Saturday for its season opener opposite the Mountaineers. One freshman certain to be on the trip is former four-star Luke Reynolds. Lions coach James Franklin told reporters Wednesday night that fans could expect to see a “decent amount” of the January enrollee who has quickly taken to the college level. On Thursday, his position coach, Ty Howle, opened up about Reynolds’ development.

“I think the progress he’s made, from a physical development and mental development, is just picking up the offense. Obviously, he enrolled early, and that was huge,” Howle said. “Coming to college, even when I did it, I thought that was the hardest piece and how fast the game is. It’s slowed down for him. He’s done a really nice job of learning his assignments and knowing what to do. He takes a lot of pride in extra reps and jog-throughs.

“The biggest progression has been mentally handling all the things we do with our tight ends. We’re very versatile with the tight end position. He’s done a nice job handling those things. Luke specifically as a young guy, just being a sponge has been huge.”

More: Three Things: The little things that can guide Penn State over West Virginia

Howle went on to point out that, because Reynolds was basically a big receiver in high school, improved run blocking is a must. But, he also praised the freshman for the steps he’s made so far before pointing out a part of his motivation that has him in line to see snaps in his first college game.

“A lot of times young players, and particularly they want to do the things that they’re good at, you know, like I am a good route runner or whatever it is, and not focus on where the weaknesses are,” Howle said. “And he’s done a nice job of attacking his weaknesses through the offseason. So I think that’s been kind of a big thing for mentally and physically developing.”

Howle is the feature of this week’s Penn State Q&A. Read on to see more of what he had to say.

On redshirt freshman tight end Andrew Rappleyea and Joey Schlaffer

“Both guys have done a really nice job during camp,” Howle said. “They’ve gotten a ton of reps. It’s been a big spring and fall for those guys. With us losing Theo [Johnson] and needng guys to step up, both have done a really good job. Rapp’s a little further ahead in the blocking game, but Joey has done a really nice job of developing that part of his game. That’s been a big focus for him. Rap’s big focus has been the mental part of playing all the parts of a tight end.”

On West Virginia

“Every team is different from year to year,” Howle said. “Our team is different. The makeup of the team is different. The things they did really well last year they’ll build on, and every year, someone has a new wrinkle in the first game. So we’re trying to figure out how to identify and attack it. That comes into focus in first games. A big focus of ours is worrying about what we do and do well and the things we’re able to do against anything and allow our kids to play fast. That’s the biggest thing.”

On James Franklin calling Tyler Warren college football’s most complete tight end

“I totally agree,” Howle said. “It’s rare nowadays that there are guys who can control the C gap at a high level in blocking but also get open in man-to-man coverage and do a ton of different jobs from a mental standpoint. He’s one of those guys. He’s a really good blocker, physical, can run routes, and be a multi-tool tight end.

“At the tight end position, it’s a huge separator. It makes people have hard decisions on how they want to play us and play Tyler. That’s the beauty of being an all-around tight end. They can’t put you in a box. He gives us flexibility and creates problems for opponents.”

On how Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins is staying involved despite missing time during camp

“Khalil’s done a nice job just staying engaged,” Howle said. “The thing he’s really developed is a leadership role and helping the young guys, and he continues to develop himself. That’s been really good for those young guys.”

On Jerry Cross’ development

“I think the first thing that sticks out is he’s a really big dude and has worked hard on his blocking technique and those things,” Howle said. “He has really soft hands in the pass game. Being able to use those physical abilities will be key. He had a really good camp and spring. Early on it was learning all the things we do at tight end. Now the game is starting to slow down, drastically from when he got here because he early enrolled. I see him having a role and being able to use his skill sets as part of our offense. He’s made a nice progression.”