Why expectations should be tempered for Penn State Football tight ends

Taking a deeper dive into the involvement of the Tight End position in Mike Yurcich’s offense and how it may impact expectations for Penn State Football going into the 2022 season

Penn State Football fans have certainly been a bit spoiled in recent history with both the talent and production seen from the tight end position.

From Jesse James to Mike Gesicki to Pat Freirermuth and Nick Bowers, it’s been a revolving door of high-level play from these large freaks of nature.

And they have absolutely been a focal point of the offenses under both Bill O’Brien and James Franklin.

Everyone knows the cliché terms associated with the tight end position.
“They’re the quarterback’s best friend.”
“This tight end is the security blanket for the offense.”

And they’re fitting. Because tight ends, like the list of guys above, are too big for defensive backs to handle and way too fast for linebackers to keep up with. They are a defense’s worst nightmare.

And when you have the luxury of utilizing these weapons in your offense, you’re going to do it!

This brings us to our main point. How do the tight ends fit into Mike Yurcich’s offense? And what should the Nittany Lion faithful expect in terms of production from that position?

Before we answer these questions, let’s take a look at the tight end production from each of the five seasons prior to Mike Yurcich being on campus.

How Mike Yurchich has historically used the tight end position, and how it impacts Penn State Football

Penn State Football – TE Stats

Year    TE Rec Yards     Total Rec Yards   Share
2020  530                      2304                     23%
2019  743                      2877                     26%
2018  564                      2835                     20%
2017  621                      3772                     16%
2016  679                      3650                     19%

And here are the stats for the tight ends in Mike Yurcich’s first year at the OC helm.

Year    TE Rec Yards     Total Rec Yards   Share
2021  499                      3491                     14%

But one season is a very small sample size. So let’s take a look at Yurcich’s entire FBS career to see if it can help us answer the tight end question before coming to a final conclusion.