Penn State's Tyler Warren: Big Ten schedule is going to be a 'grind' | NBC Sports

What has it been like being a top tight end at Penn State Tyler it feels like not that long ago you were throwing touchdowns in high school and now you've transitioned into being one of the top tight ends in the country what is this been like for you yeah I feel like I've been really lucky to come in to a program that I did with a bunch of great tight ends ahead of me that I've gotten to you know watch and learn from and become friends with so I think really just being around guys like that only only helped project project me to a you know a higher level tight end and Coach how has done a great job of developing all the tight ends in the room and he's a really special coach I think there's been a lot of a lot of outside sources I've been lucky to be around to help me get to where I'm at it feels like the spotlights been on quarterback Drew Aller since he was a Drew Aller recruit right what growth have you seen from him from last year going into this season where expectations obviously are high yeah I think I think he's done a good of of being more of a vocal guy I think he's a little more comfortable he's got a year year under his belt of starting and he's always been a even kill guy who doesn't get too high or low with whatever's going on so I think that's that's a big thing for him mentally and then just kind of being more of a vocal guy and being more comfortable as has been noticeable this this off season so I'm excited for him you caught seven touchdowns last year but when you turn on the tape also one Blocking TEs of the betting better blocking tight ends in the country as well how much pride do you take in that aspect how much do you love that aspect of the position yeah I think if if Tai how is going to recruit you you know him being a offensive line back in his day it's you're not just going to come here to catch passes you got to do a little bit of everything and he kind of was puts that in us as when we first get here and that's kind of what we take pride in is being being well-rounded tight ends and being able to do the dirty stuff as much as the you know the fun catching passes and stuff like that so you know we take pride in it and I you know I I'm every time I'm out there blocking I'm trying to make him proud of what I put on tape and and reflect well on him as a coach I think that's kind of how our room works and what why it works so well schedule Big Ten schedule looks a little different this year with all the new teams in this conference and that's exciting but what are some of the challenges that that brings as well yeah I mean obviously it's it's it's um talented teams that are coming in so it's only going to you know up the schedule difficulty which is you know it's a good thing good competition is a gift and then obviously there's some more travel going to the West Coast and stuff like that but at the end of the day it's it's good football teams playing good football teams and we're going to have to you know approach it the same way we would every week and it's going to be it's going to be a grind but we're excited for it and looking forward to it this program is looking for its first Big 10 title since 2016 how do you get over that hurdle this year I think really it starts with starts with Camp coming up and if if we want to get somewhere down the road it's not going to we're not going to get anywhere without taking the first step so staying staying in the present you know f on going one and0 if we do that each week it'll take us to where we want to go but it really starts on starts with the first thing we got at hand which is Camp and then working towards West Virginia and being one to know so you've had the opportunity already to play with guys that have gone on to the pros drafted early whether it's Olu fashion new obviously Theo who was in your own tight end room last year how do a lum like that help you along the way yeah so Olu was actually my roommate for like three years so I live with him for a while and Theo obviously was my guy who you know we were in the facility every day together but just being able to any type of questions you have obviously they're kind of in a spot where that's going to be similar to me going through all that process and their last year and stuff like that so just having that resource is just another thing that can take some stress off me and help me help me focus on other things but obviously having them is is really really good for me and I'm really happy for them they're doing well and I'll be able to they'll be able to help me out when I get to that point so it's it's all works out what's your favorite part about playing for Coach Franklin um I think I think just you know the way he instills the family about and it's actually a real family and and he's there for us and and we'll take care of us whenever we need it so playing for him and just you know having that relationship with somebody when you want to play for them and you want to you know do good for them and make sure you reflect well on them is is really powerful within the team so I think that that's a big part of it is there's so Penn State continuity much change in college football too especially with coaching and he's been a staple at Penn State for a long time right now is that continuity something that makes the program special yeah I think that's you know that's something you could say cuz like you said there's a lot of moving around so having a steady steady head man at the front of the table is is really important and you know there's stability when you get there and you don't got to worry about maybe not having your coach the next year or something like that so it's been it's been really good for me and really important and I think it will continue to be like that so coach Franklin has talked about your ability to play on the line of scrimmage off the line of scrimmage I know a lot is asked of Penn State tight ends as we saw the usage with even you and Theo last year you Penn State tight ends know what does that bring for your mentality being able to handle a lot of different roles but also that's a lot on your plate yeah I think that's something we take pride in as a room being able to you know not just being onedimensional guys because not only is it going to help the offense but if you're looking for a role and you can do a lot of different things it's going to help you get on the field early which was kind of something I did when I was first getting here just being able to do anything that the offense needs really and and playing for the offense I think that's what we take pride in as a tight end room so I think and that's what kind of makes a tight end valuable it's the guy that could that can help you in the Run game help you in the pass game give you different mismatches which is what we what we focus on in our room so I think that's that's kind of the fun part about being a tight end how vital is that in the red zone right especially last year you have a Young quarterback who's just getting really comfortable and you know Red zone offense obviously your ability to block on the goal line but also to release and that's how you Theo each cost seven touchdowns what does that bring for the red zone offense yeah I feel like that's kind of where tight end shine because it's it's tighter it's tighter Windows everything's more compact so being able to have a a bigger body that just has the overall size Advantage being able to get up go up and get balls or use your body to get open is is what the tight ends are are supposed to do it's what we take pride in as as Penn State tight ends I think that that kind of showed up last year continue to continue to do that the NFL is going to be loudly knocking on your door before you know it when your time is done at Penn State what do you want to look back at that you're really proud of yeah I just you know when people think about how I played the game think about I played it the right way you know to the whistle after the whistle just kind of played played with great effort great teammate always helping helping other people up stuff like that and just kind of respect how I played the game and thought I played with great effort is really really what I what I like when I leave thanks Tyler y thank you