In any other year, Tyler Warren would have taken home this prestigious national award

Penn State senior tight end Tyler Warren had a remarkable final season in Happy Valley. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki unlocked his skill set in the passing game, and conversely, Warren developed into the skeleton key for Kotelnicki’s system, playing all over the field and igniting the pass-and-run game. In total Warren played eight different positions on the offense, tight end, slot receiver, wide receiver, quarterback, fullback/running back, offensive tackle, offensive guard, and even center. He was the perfect candidate to win the Paul Hornung Award for the nation’s most versatile player… in any other year. 

Warren finished the 2024 season with 88 catches for 1,062 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns, 23 carries for 191 yards and four touchdowns, and three completions on five attempts for 35 yards and a passing TD. In his 17-catch performance against USC, Warren snapped the ball as the center and caught a touchdown on the same play. 

Yet, on Wednesday it was announced that for the second-straight season, the Paul Hornung Award has gone to Colorado’s Travis Hunter. So, I guess you could say that Warren would have won it in almost any other year, but even in 2023, Penn State’s do-it-all tight end would have had a better shot because injuries limited Hunter to just nine games. In 2024, Hunter played all 12 and finished the season with 805 offensive snaps and 713 on defense. As a cornerback, Hunter finished the season with four interceptions and a forced fumble, and as a wide receiver, he tallied 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 12 scores. 

Even the only player in the country who snapped the ball and caught it on the same play had no chance of beating out a legitimate two-way superstar. Hunter is the favorite for the Heisman Trophy and may be the most versatile player in college football history, at least since Hornung himself was Notre Dame’s quarterback, running back, and kicker, all in the same year. Penn State campaigned hard for Warren to be included as a Heisman Trophy finalist, but he was left out in favor of Hunter, Boise State's Ashton Jeanty, Oregon's Dillon Gabriel, and Miami's Cam Ward.

Had Warren taken home the Hornung, he would have been the second Nittany Lions to do so. Saquon Barkley won the award in 2017, a far less versatile season than Warren’s 2024 campaign.