Brenton Strange ready to ‘step up big time’ at TE for Penn State after loss of Pat Freiermuth
Brenton Strange felt nervous for six days.
The Penn State redshirt freshman tight end learned that star junior tight end Pat Freiermuth would have season-ending surgery for an undisclosed injury the day after the Nittany Lions’ Week 4 loss to Nebraska. Second on the depth chart at the position, Strange knew he now had some big shoes to fill.
But Strange, who said he first realized he had what it took to be a starter this past offseason, knew he was ready for this moment. So, his nerves went away as soon as Penn State’s first play ended in last Saturday’s loss to Iowa.
“I knew it was an opportunity that I had to take advantage of,” Strange said Wednesday of the moment he found out he’d be the Nittany Lions’ new No. 1 option at tight end. “… I knew I had to step up big time.”
After his three-catch, one-touchdown, 38-yard outing against the Hawkeyes, Strange admits he has a long way to go to be the player he envisions himself being. But those within the Penn State program are confident that Strange is more than capable of excelling in his new role this season.
When Strange first arrived in State College, he weighed around 210 pounds. He said that, as a high schooler in West Virginia, his diet wasn’t consistent — he’d occasionally skip breakfast or lunch because he wasn’t hungry.
With proper nutrition and by working with strength coach Dwight Galt, the results came quickly, though. Strange looked in the mirror and saw “a completely different person” just two or three months into his time with the program. Now, the 6-foot-3 tight end is up to 248 pounds.
Strange had also never played tight end before college. At West Virginia’s Parkersburg High School, he played wide receiver and outside linebacker.
To get over the learning curve, Strange spent time studying his new position. He and his then-roommate redshirt freshman right tackle Caedan Wallace would sit for hours together to dig through the Nittany Lions’ playbook last season.
“Brenton’s a hard worker, on and off the field,” Wallace said. “... Off the field, he’s just really in the books. He’s doing extra work after practice. He’s grinding during his lifts. He’s a trustworthy teammate, and I feel like that’s another aspect that helps him step up into that position.”
It’s the growth — from a physical and mental standpoint — that those around Strange have seen in him that inspires their belief in the second-year player.
Without Freiermuth, who was second on the team in receiving yards, more of the weight on offense will naturally fall on junior receiver Jahan Dotson — Penn State’s leader in receiving yards and touchdowns. Strange only has 65 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his career, but Dotson said he’s comfortable knowing that Strange is ready to take on a larger role.
“I’ve seen him flourish from a young tight end to a guy who’s ready to step up and play in big-time games,” Dotson said. “I know he’s more than capable of making big plays in big moments when we need him to. So I just can’t wait to see what he can do on the field.”
Head coach James Franklin also has been impressed with the way Strange has transformed as a player. Franklin believes the Nittany Lions have the right type of guy at tight end in Strange.
“He’s very physical in the run game — he’s a guy that gives us a really physical element in our blocking schemes and the things that we want to do,” Franklin said. “But he also can make plays with the ball in the air. So, he’s kinda exactly what we’re looking for at that position.”
Even with all the work he’s put in — the diet change, the extra time ironing out fundamentals after practices and the hours studying the playbook — Strange was a little nervous when it first hit him that he’d be Penn State’s new starting tight end.
Though people within the Nittany Lions’ program raved about Strange’s progress from the time he was a true freshman last year, Strange knows he can accomplish so much more.
And that might be an even more encouraging sign than the strides he’s already made.
“Quite honestly, I think it’s gonna take a lot more work,” Strange said. “I don’t think I’m ready to completely fill the shoes of Pat Freiermuth right now, but I’m gonna keep getting better every single week to do that.”
