To celebrate the upcoming new year, and new decade, we’ll be offering a retrospective here at NittanyWhiteOut.  Over the next two weeks, we’ll reveal all the members of NittanyWhiteOut’s All-Decade team, comprising of the best Penn Staters from 2000-2009.  Don’t agree with our picks? Let your voice be heard in the comments!  We continue today with a look back at Penn State’s tight ends of the past decade.

For a program with as much history as Penn State, there haven’t been too many great tight ends to don the Blue and White.  Sure, we’ve got Kyle Brady and Mickey Shuler (the senior), but on the whole, there hasn’t been a glut of talent at the position.  Then again, when you’ve produced some of the great running backs and wide receivers that the Nittany Lions have had, the tight end needs to be little more than an accessory, an extra blocker along the offensive line, or check-down target for a quarterback under pressure.  The lack of Nittany Lion greats at this position over the past decade makes our selection stand out that much more, and when you compare the candidates, it was a relatively easy selection to name the following player to NittanyWhiteOut’s all-decade team, even despite his unfortunate inkage.

Andrew Quarless (2006-2009) hasn’t helped himself in this category, but for the majority of his Penn State career, Quarless’s story was one of unfulfilled potential.  Quarless came to Penn State as a blue-chip prospect, and the one thing you could never question was his physical ability.  Listed at 6’5 and 255, and with the speed to create major match-up problems for linebackers and tight ends alike, Quarless made an immediate impact as a true freshman at Penn State, catching 21 passes for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns.  It was a remarkable season for the youngster, but such success would be fleeting for Quarless.  Over the next two seasons, Quarless found himself in trouble with the law, drawing an underage drinking charge and a DUI, and following the so-called “marijuana-gate” scandal of 2008, in which two of his roommates were found with marijuana, found himself firmly planted in Joe Paterno’s doghouse even though Quarless himself was absolved.  Over the next two seasons, Quarless caught just 25 passes combined, and lost his starting spot to Mickey Shuler (the junior) before regaining it late in the 2008 season.  The 2009 season, Quarless’s senior year, brought a more dedicated player, who swore off alcohol, traded in his roommates for a single room, spent the summer training with Daryll Clark, and finally realized the potential we all saw in him as a freshman.  Quarless improved as a blocker, too, though his real success was catching the ball, reeling in 33 passes from Clark for 448 yards and 3 touchdowns, and in the process perhaps erasing the lasting image of Quarless rolling up Joe Paterno in the 2007 Wisconsin game.  It’s a shame that AQ2 couldn’t be so productive throughout his career, but we at NittanyWhiteOut are just as happy to see him turn his life around, and wish him all the best in the Capital One Bowl, and later, in the NFL.

Honorable Mentions: Isaac Smolko, John Gilmore

Releated Posts:

1. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Wide Receivers
2. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Cornerbacks
3. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Safety
4. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Center
5. The Penn State All-Decade Team: Defensive Tackles

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