A Look Back At Pat Freiermuth’s Record-Setting Penn State Career
After three seasons with Penn State, tight end Pat Freiermuth officially declared for the NFL Draft Sunday.
Throughout an illustrious career in Happy Valley, Freiermuth established himself as one of the most dangerous red zone threats in college football. In less than three seasons of play, “Baby Gronk” terrorized Big Ten defenses with a rare combination of strength and receiver-esque ball skills.
From making an instant impact on the field to suffering a heartbreaking injury to end his tenure, let’s take a look back at Pat Freiermuth‘s storied Penn State career.
In his first three games as a reserve in 2018, the young tight end caught the coaching staff’s eye by totaling four receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown in limited action.
After establishing himself as the most productive tight end on the roster, Freiermuth started his first game as a Nittany Lion in a top-10 showdown against Ohio State. The young phenom was unfazed by the spotlight, and hauled in three receptions for 44 yards, nearly doubling his season total.
Freiermuth‘s last reception of the game earned himself a spot on the long list of memorable White Out moments. On a pivotal third down in the fourth quarter, Trace McSorley threw a lob to Freiermuth to the back of the end zone. Miraculously, he staved off contact and made a tremendous one-handed grab to put the Lions in the driver’s seat.
Although the Nittany Lions failed to complete the upset bid, Freiermuth’s performance against the No. 4 Buckeyes put the nation on notice.
Three weeks later, Freiermuth scored his third touchdown of the season to spark a spirited victory against Indiana in Bloomington. The 23-yard strike delivered by Tommy Stevens helped the Nittany Lions establish the momentum to avoid a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2015.
The reception began a scoring frenzy for Freiermuth, who caught five touchdowns in the final six games of the year, including his first multi-score performance against Rutgers.
Freiermuth added one last highlight-reel score to his freshman resume in a late-comeback effort against Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl. Although the Lions ultimately fell short, Freiermuth’s will to enter the end zone put the tight end’s never-quit attitude on full display.
After concluding his freshman season with 26 receptions for 330 yards and 8 touchdowns, expectations were sky-high for the emerging star entering 2019. The reliable target would prove to be an extremely valuable asset for first-year starter Sean Clifford and the evolving Penn State offense.
Picking up right where he left off, the newly titled sophomore caught a career-high eight receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-13 non-conference victory against Buffalo. The performance solidified Freiermuth’s standing as a legitimate Mackey Award candidate in the preseason.
After weeks of consistency as Penn State’s most reliable target, Freiermuth exploded against Michigan State for three touchdowns. The performance gained traction from NFL superstar Rob Gronkowski, who commented on Freiermuth’s nickname of “Baby Gronk” a week later.
“It’s something special when you hear a player in the younger ranks that has a nickname ‘Gronk,’ that wears the number 87,” Gronkowski told Big Ten Network last November. “You have to bring it. You have to bring your A-game every time you hit the field. You have to show them who’s boss.”
An 8-0 start behind the leadership of Freiermuth placed Penn State at No. 4 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings heading into a crucial matchup with Minnesota. Once again, Freiermuth thrived by recording his first 100-yard game.
Although the seven-reception, 101-yard output wasn’t enough for Penn State to escape Minneapolis with a win, Freiermuth finished the season strong with an additional 11 receptions for 115 yards in the final four games of the year, including another patented highlight-worthy truck against a Memphis defender in the Cotton Bowl.
Oh, and he really wanted a hat after that Cotton Bowl win. We can’t blame him.
Coming off of an extremely productive sophomore season, Freiermuth ranked within the top five of all draft-eligible tight ends following 2019, per ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. Still, Freiermuth knew he had unfinished business at Penn State and stayed another year.
Throughout the tumultuous 2020 offseason, Freiermuth vocalized his support for a fall season and became a leader for the underclassmen. His commitment to the team never wavered despite having the opportunity to dwell on his missed NFL Draft opportunity as a sophomore.
Eventually, Freiermuth began the season with a seven-reception, 60-yard effort against Indiana. The junior also scored his lone touchdown of the season in the game, although it wasn’t enough to propel the visiting Lions past the Hoosiers.
Pat Freiermuth has ARRIVED
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 24, 2020
pic.twitter.com/17R1XHWzaD
Against Ohio State, Freiermuth recorded another solid performance. He finished with three receptions for 46 yards but suffered a shoulder injury that lingered for the remainder of the season.
During the ensuing two weeks against Maryland and Nebraska, Freiermuth totaled the most impressive two-game span of his career, consisting of 13 receptions for 204 yards. Unfortunately, the second 100-yard receiving game of his career against the Huskers in Lincoln also marked his last in a Nittany Lion uniform.
After sitting out against Iowa, Freiermuth underwent season-ending shoulder surgery the following week, which consequently ended his Penn State career. With 23 receptions for 310 yards through just four games, he was well on his way to having his best statistical season as a Nittany Lion.
Although Freiermuth’s year was cut short, his efforts did not go unnoticed. On Tuesday, the Big Ten awarded the star junior the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year distinction. He finished the season as the leader in receiving yards among all conference tight ends.
Freiermuth’s Penn State career concludes as one of the most established at the tight end position in program history. In just 29 games, Freiermuth broke the touchdown receptions record for a tight end with 16 scores. Additionally, with 92 career receptions for 1,185 yards, “Baby Gronk” is leaving Happy Valley ranked second in career receptions and third in career receiving yards among tight ends.
As a highlight-reel machine with a natural knack for the end zone, Freiermuth will forever be a fan-favorite in Happy Valley. His ability to find soft spots in the defense and gain yardage after contact should make him an asset in the NFL.
“When I received my offer from Penn State, I knew right away it was the place I wanted to be,” Freiermuth said Sunday. “Nittany Nation, I can promise you, I gave you everything I had.”
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