Penn State Football position grades after back to back wins

Tight End

Grade: C-

Star tight end Pat Freiermuth suffered a shoulder injury in the week two clash with Ohio State and did his best to grimace through it for a few games until Penn State ultimately shut him down for the year after four games. Despite not having played the last three games, the junior still ranks third on the team in receptions with 23.

With Freiermuth out, the tight end duties have fallen on a pair of freshmen in Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson.

Strange has 10 receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Johnson has been quiet, hauling in two catches for 14 yards.

The future of the position looks bright with these two former high 4-star recruits. But, right now it is probably unrealistic to expect much more production after they were thrust into much bigger roles then originally anticipated, especially with an abbreviated off-season due to covid-19.

Strange, at six-foot-three and 248 pounds, and Johnson, listed at six-foot-six and 251 pounds, certainly look the part and both have had their presence felt as a blockers. The announcers made a point to single out both tight ends during Saturday’s game for what they were doing moving defenders out of the way, helping pave the way for 248 rushing yards.

This grade can go way up the more the two freshmen are integrated into the passing game over the next two weeks.