Warren follows in Kwarik’s footsteps | News, Sports, Jobs

Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, 44, warms up against Washington during an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in State College, Pennsylvania (AP Photo/Barry Reagor) )

No. 4 Penn State (10-1) vs. Maryland (4-7)

Kickoff: 3:30pm

TV: Big Ten Network

Odds: Penn State is a 24.5-point favorite

Watching Tyler Warren this season brought back fond memories for Ted Kwarik.

The Nittany Lions’ first great tight end, and perhaps the best to date, didn’t watch every Penn State game from his home in San Jose, California, but he appreciated Warren’s special talent. I’ve seen enough of that.

“I think he’s a great tight end.” Kwarik said in a phone interview. “I see a part of him in me. He’s following in my footsteps.”

The similarities are: “I think the way he catches the ball is fast.” Kwarik said. “He won’t go down easily.”

Kwarik, 77, ranks second at Penn State in career receptions with 86 (to Jack Curry’s 117) and was first among tight ends at the time. He finished fourth in the 1968 Heisman Trophy voting, the first of Joe Paterno’s first two undefeated teams.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Paterno could not have been better than Kwarik, saying of Kwarik: “He’s the person God had in mind when he created football players…I don’t think he ever dropped a pass.”

Kwarik was drafted seventh overall in the first round of the 1969 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he played six seasons, won 11 Super Bowl titles with the Oakland Raiders, and played three more seasons.

He believes it is difficult to compare eras and says: “The game has changed. They use tight ends a lot.”

Penn State historian Lou Prato has been watching both Warren and Kwarik, and Warren had 124 receptions, breaking the school’s all-time receiving yards record held by Mike Gesicki last week. (1516), but he rates Kwarik as No.1.

“Kwarik remains the greatest tight end in Penn State history.” Prato said. “The late ’60s were a different game… (but) I think Warren could have been outstanding from 1960 to the 1990s. He has the right mentality, just like the players before him.”

In addition to his physical attributes, Warren, who was 6-foot-6 and weighed 260 pounds, was Penn State’s best leader.

Last week against Minnesota, Warren had a chance to score a touchdown with just seconds left, but Warren simply fell down after making the catch inside the Gophers’ five, clinching the game without making another play.

James Franklin, who has been touting Warren’s postseason award win all year, said: “Maybe that’s my favorite play of the game.”

“We call it surrender.” he said. “That means going down after you get the first down, or going down trying to score and then going down before you score. We can manage that situation and win and not have to kickoff again and on our terms. It’s the best way to finish. So it’s a really cool play and it’s no surprise that Tyler Warren is putting the team first.”

Warren decided to come back for the final season, and it certainly paid off for him and the Nittany Lions.

When asked if the season has exceeded expectations, Warren shifted the conversation to his team.

“I can’t say I had a specific goal.” he said. “I was more focused on winning the game, so I think I did a good job in that regard.”

Warren, a former high school quarterback and Virginia basketball standout, didn’t know much about Penn State’s tight end history when he arrived.

Since then, he’s gotten to know Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson, as well as Mike Gesicki and Kyle Brady.

“I’m impressed by the tradition that Penn State’s tight ends have always had.” he said. “I see what it means to play tight end at Penn State, and I’m glad I got that opportunity.”

Today is Senior Day, and Warren will definitely get the biggest applause before the game, and rightly so.

And, according to Ted Kwarik, Warren has one more thing to evaluate in the coming months. “He needs to go high in the draft.”