A true modern tight end has never won the Heisman Trophy and hasn’t been a Heisman finalist at the position since Notre Dame’s Ken MacAfee finished third in 1977, but that hasn’t stopped Penn State from trying. On Monday, Penn State released an official video lobbying for Warren to be a Heisman Trophy finalist in his legendary 2024 season with NFL legend Rob Gronkowski.
Invite that man to New York 🍎🏙️#WeAre x #TylerWarren pic.twitter.com/PrcfOAivwQ
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 25, 2024
Before Travis Kelce began dating the most famous pop star in the world, Gronk was the face of the tight end position, and for many people the NFL legend still is. Nearly, every talented young tight end has been called baby Gronk, and Warren could be next in that lineage. Warren leads Penn State with 75 catches for 910 yards and five touchdowns and is the program’s all-time leader in receiving touchdowns by a tight end, a record he broke this season.
That’s not the only record Warren has broken. Warren’s season is already the most single-season receiving yards for a Penn State tight end, surpassing Mike Gesicki, and tight end isn’t the only position that Warren has played.
A former high school quarterback, Warren has taken snaps at wide receiver, running back, offensive line, quarterback, and even center. He has racked up 157 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and has even thrown for a touchdown, completing two of his four pass attempts for 26 yards and a touchdown. He’s a supremely unique player in a season with supremely unique talents being considered for the Heisman Trophy. The current favorite for the award is Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who played both ways as a star wide receiver and cornerback, and a likely contender is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.
Without elite quarterback candidates, Penn State is putting on a full-court press to get Warren to New York City, and that will include plenty of touches in the season finale on Saturday at Beaver Stadium against Maryland.