Penn State tight end Tyler Warren (44) runs against Purdue during the first half of an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Watching Tyler Warren this season has brought back fond memories for Ted Kwalick.

The Nittany Lions’ first great tight end – and arguably its best, to this day – hasn’t seen all the Penn State games from his home in California (San Jose), but he’s seen enough to appreciate Warren’s special talent.

“I think he’s a great tight end,” Kwalick said in a phone interview. “I see some of him in me. He’s following in my footsteps.”

The similarities include “the way he catches, and I think he’s fast,” Kwalick said. “He doesn’t go down easy.”

Kwalick, 77, was second (to Jack Curry’s 117) in Penn State career receptions with 86, tops at the time among tight ends. He finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1968, the first of Joe Paterno’s first two unbeaten teams.

He inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Paterno could not have been higher on Kwalick, about whom he said, “He’s what God had in mind when he made a football player … I don’t think he ever dropped a pass.”

Kwalick was the seventh overall pick in the first round of the 1969 draft by the San Francisco 49ers, where he played six seasons, and won a Super Bowl title (XI) with the Oakland Raiders, where he played three more.

He believes it’s difficult to compare eras, saying, “The game has changed. They’re using the tight end a lot.”

Penn State historian Lou Prato watched both Warren and Kwalick, and although Warren has 124 receptions and last week broke the school’s career receiving yardage record (1516) previously held by Mike Gesicki, he rates Kwalick No. 1.

“Kwalick is still the greatest tight end in Penn State history,” Prato said. “It was a different game in the late ’60s … (But) I think Warren could have been outstanding in the 1960-1990s period. He has the right mentality just like those earlier players.”

In addition to his physical attributes, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Warren has been Penn State’s best leader.

Last week at Minnesota, with a chance to score a touchdown in the waning seconds, Warren simply fell down after his catch inside the Gophers’ 5 clinched the game without having to run another play.

James Franklin, who has touted Warren for postseason awards all year, called it “maybe my favorite play of the game.”

“We call it surrender,” he said. “It means once you get the first down you go down, or once you’re about to score you go down before scoring. It’s the best thing to do in terms of managing that situation and winning and not having to kickoff again, ending on our terms. So just really cool play and not surprising that Tyler Warren is going to put the team first.”

Warren decided to come back for a final season, and it’s certainly paid off for him and the Nittany Lions.

Asked if the season has exceeded his expectations, Warren deflected the subject back to the team.

“I wouldn’t say I had certain goals,” he said. “I was more focused on winning games, and I think we’re doing a good job with that.”

A former high school quarterback and basketball standout in Virginia, Warren wasn’t familiar with Penn State’s tight end history when he arrived.

Since, he’s gotten to know Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson, and he’s learned about Mike Gesicki and Kyle Brady.

“I’m impressed with the legacy Penn State tight ends have always had,” he said. “Now I know what it means to play tight end at Penn State, and I’m glad I’ve had that opportunity.”

Today is Senior Day, and there’s no question Warren will get the biggest pre-game ovation, which will be deserving.

And there’s one more thing Warren will be deserving of in a few months, per Ted Kwalick: “He needs to go high in the draft.”

Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com.