No. 4 Penn State kept its undefeated season alive Saturday with a come-from-behind, 33-30 overtime win at USC. And the Nittany Lions have tight end Tyler Warren to thank for the result.
Warren set a Penn State single-game record and tied the all-time FBS single-game record for tight ends with 17 receptions. That 17th grab came on a shovel pass in overtime and helped Penn State set up its game-winning field goal. Warren finished with 224 yards receiving and a touchdown on a wild trick play.
He entered the season No. 5 on Dane Brugler’s 2025 NFL Draft TE rankings, second among senior tight ends behind only Clemson’s Jake Briningstool. Where does Warren stand now? What did Saturday’s performance tell us about his upside?
Our draft team breaks it down …
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What makes Warren such an enticing prospect?
Penn State has tinkered with different stuff for Warren all season, from lining him up at quarterback in short yardage to asking him to throw the football and just about everything in between. Saturday against USC, the Nittany Lions emptied Warren’s cupboard. The explosive, powerful 6-foot-6, 255-pounder lined up at tight end, receiver, running back, quarterback and even center during Saturday’s career-best performance.
On his trick-play touchdown, Warren started off at center in a half-line, then made an amazing circus catch for a touchdown — the type of catch that has become standard fare for Warren this season.
Double pass TD for @PennStateFball to start the second half! 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/54lph5ddUw
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2024
Warren is a big-time athlete with the perfect body for an NFL tight end. His grandmother was a college basketball player; his grandfather was a college football player; his dad, aunt and sister were all college athletes. Warren himself was a big-time basketball and baseball player before arriving at Penn State. When you watched former Penn State TE Theo Johnson last season, it was impossible not to see everything that was possible for Warren in the future — not just as a pass catcher and blocker but also as a playmaker after the catch and in the air.
Entering this game, Warren had just one drop all season, and he’s produced despite basically drawing full attention from Nittany Lions opponents as Drew Allar’s clear favorite target since Week 1.
Michigan’s Colston Loveland entered the season as TE1 (and still might be) because of all the versatility he brings to the table. Warren, though, has a case that he can handle a similar workload, and he’s making the spectacular look routine. — Nick Baumgardner
Where does Warren belong in the 2025 TE class?
A high school quarterback (and punter), Warren joined a tight ends group at Penn State that at the time included Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange, Zack Kuntz and Johnson — four NFL Draft picks. But Warren has a chance to be selected higher than any of them, and he showed why against USC.
Did he benefit from facing a questionable Trojans defense? Of course, but Warren has been playing at a high level all season. Though not a premier athlete, Warren is controlled and tough, before and after the catch. He can snatch the football and make it difficult on defenders to finish him to the ground.
A lot of people learning about Tyler Warren today. Love to see it.
Warren is the No. 1 ranked senior TE prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. https://t.co/sh7oEYA17z
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 12, 2024
Warren entered the season with mostly third-round grades from scouts, but he’s put himself in the top-50 mix. His skills bring back flashes of Tyler Eifert, the 21st pick in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. — Dane Brugler
Is USC RB Woody Marks rising, too?
If there were an All-Transfer Portal list for guys who made great decisions and helped their own situations, Woody Marks would be near the top. He spent four years as a versatile back in Mississippi State’s offense, catching a lot of passes (83 receptions for 502 yards in 2021 alone). His hands, route running and ability to adjust to throws are as good as any back in this class.
The one question I had on him was whether he could handle a real between-the-tackle run load. He’s gone to USC and been near 6 yards per carry all season — against physical Big 10 defenses — as one of the Trojans’ best playmakers. He’s already close to the best rushing season of his career, and it’s only half over. Saturday, he tallied 20 carries for 111 yards plus two catches for 44 yards.
This is a really fun running backs class, and Marks is very much in that mix. — Baumgardner
(Photo: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
