Penn State’s Ty Howle discusses young TEs, correcting mistakes

Ty Howle began his Penn State career as an offensive lineman, and he now coaches a Nittany Lions tight end room full of intriguing athletes.

Last Saturday was very much a mixed bag for a couple of PSU tight ends in the Lions’ 42-37 loss to UCLA at the Rose Bowl.

Veteran Khalil Dinkins caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Drew Allar, but he was called for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the play.

Second-year tight end Luke Reynolds caught four passes for 46 yards. He also failed to make a key block on the Lions’ failed fourth-and-2 try from the UCLA 9 in the final minute with PSU down seven points.

The loss to the Bruins dropped James Franklin’s program to 3-2, and Penn State must beat Northwestern on Saturday in State College to avoid a three-game losing streak.

Howle was asked Thursday about Reynolds’ day against UCLA.

“Always tell the truth and then make corrections,” Howle said. “Build guys up and also help them get better. Because if you turn a blind eye, then you’re not moving forward and getting better. But you also gotta remember, we need this guy to play well.”

Howle has not sensed a UCLA hangover on the Penn State practice field this week.

“We learned from mistakes that we made on Saturday, and the guys have been laser-focused on their job and what we gotta do this week,” Howle said.

“We’ve had really good practices this week; guys have been enthusiastic and really good energy.”

Reynolds is tied with wideouts Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena for the team lead in receptions with 18, but he is still looking for his touchdown catch.

A five-star signee in the Lions’ 2024 recruiting class, Reynolds is on a good development path after playing as a freshman.

Behind Dinkins, Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea are three freshmen tight ends, one of them Andrew Olesh.

Olesh, a prep star from Southern Lehigh High School in the Lehigh Valley, was one of the top-rated players in PSU’s 2025 class.

The 6-foot-5 Olesh is listed at 231 pounds on the Lions’ roster. He has added roughly 15 pounds to his frame during his time in college.

“He’s done a great job in the weight room, putting on the strength and size. He’s up in weight and strength numbers,” Howle said of Olesh, adding the youngster has made it a point to focus on blocking after practices.

Brian Kortovich (6-4, 245) and Matt Henderson (6-5, 236) are Penn State’s other true freshmen tight ends on scholarship.

“He’s done a nice job of attacking it,” Howle said of Henderson. “He practices really hard and plays the game the way it should be.”

And Kortovich?

“Super physical player,” Howle said. “He’s the type of guy, he’ll run through a wall. I really like his intensity and physicality.”