Penn State Preseason Top 10: No. 4 Pat Freiermuth

It’s time for our annual preseason top 10! Each summer, the staff votes on its top 10 players ahead of the upcoming season. A 1st place vote is worth 10 points, second place is worth nine points, and so on. Sean Clifford, Blake Gillikin, Steven Gonzalez, John Reid, Cam Brown, Robert Windsor, and Tariq Castro-Fields have been covered thus far. Full voting results will be published at a later date.

How He Got Here:

Tight end Pat Freiermuth, or as we affectionately know him here at BSD ‘Free Moose’, has quickly become a vital part of the Penn State offense. After being arguably the most underrated member of Penn State’s elite 2018 recruiting class, the Massachusetts native burst onto the scene as a true freshman last fall. This led to him being named a Freshman All-American.

Last season, Freiermuth appeared in every game on his way to hauling in 26 passes for 368 yards and 8 touchdowns. In addition to being a Freshman All-American, he was also honorable mention all-conference last season.

In what is a bit of a lost art, Freiermuth is also a plus blocker at the tight end position. This is something that NFL teams will value. It is also one of the reasons why he is likely to be among the first two or three tight ends selected in the NFL Draft in April 2021.

What to Expect in 2019:

There is zero reason to expect Free Moose to be anything but a stud in the fall. There are few tight ends in the FBS as good as Freiermuth. Barring injury, his receiving totals should only improve this season. Also, it would not be a surprise to see him become Sean Clifford’s main security blanket and/or go to red zone target. With several emerging receivers and a young and talented backfield, it’s not hard to imagine Freiermuth finding more opportunities as defenses struggle to focus on him.