Drew Allar and James Franklin lobby for Tyler Warren to win the Heisman Trophy

Typically in college football, the quarterback of the No. 4 ranked team in the national which is barreling towards an 11-1 season and a spot in the College Football Playoff would be the team’s Heisman Trophy candidate, but in Happy Valley, the quarterback is lobbying for his tight end to win the award. 

On Wednesday morning after Penn State remained at No. 4 in the third CFP rankings release of the 12-team playoff era, Allar followed his head coach’s lead and made the case for Tyler Warren as the best player in the college football. 

“It’s his impact on the offense. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a tight end do what he has been doing this whole year. Receiving-wise, his stats are really good. In the run game, too. And he’s lined up everywhere for us. He’s been a big asset to our offense. I don’t think you could ever argue that. We want to get him involved in any way we can, whether it’s in the option game or him taking the snaps. He just makes our offense go,” Allar responded to a reporter’s question about Warren’s Heisman case. 

The recent buzz for Warren to win the award came after his impressive performance in three quarters against Purdue with nearly 200 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, and his coach’s comments. For the season, Warren is up to 808 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 67 catches with 157 yards and four more scores on the ground. He’s even thrown for a touchdown and that versatility has been one of the biggest reasons that James Franklin considers his fifth-year senior, the best player in college football. 

“I’ve stated it earlier in the year, I’m stating it tonight, I think Tyler Warren should be a part of all the conversations that deal with the best football player in college football,” Franklin told reporters on Saturday night. “I don’t think it’s a question, and that’s all of those types of awards, including the Heisman.”

Can Tyler Warren win the Heisman Trophy?

In some ways, this is the perfect year for a tight end to be in Heisman Trophy consideration. No tight end has ever won the Heisman Trophy and no tight end has even been a finalist since Notre Dame’s Ken MacAfee finished third in 1977. 

The Heisman Trophy is a quarterback-dominated award, but in 2024, no QB has run away with it. Miami’s Cam Ward was a favorite until the Hurricanes lost to Georgia Tech in Week 11, and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel didn’t help his case Saturday night with the Duck’s 16-13 win over Wisconsin. That’s allowed Colorado’s two-way superstar Travis Hunter to emerge as the favorite, and leaves room for Warren in the conversation with Hunter and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. 

However, Hunter, as an elite wide receiver and cornerback, presents a unique roadblock to Warren’s candidacy. Versatility is a huge piece of Warren’s case, especially without an overwhelming statistical profile. Warren has played tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, running back, and even center for the Nittany Lions, but Hunter plays nearly every snap for the Buffaloes, on both sides of the ball. So, Hunter isn’t just more likely to win the Heisman, he’ll almost certainly keep the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player, out of Warren’s hands as well. 

In a year without a clear-cut QB1, college football has been desperate for a unique Heisman candidate, that player just isn’t going to be Tyler Warren.