UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Nittany Lion student-athletes Tyler Warren (football) and Maddie Gordon (softball) garnered the loftiest academic and athletic accolades bestowed upon Big Ten Conference student-athletes, securing Penn State’s Big Ten Medals of Honor for the 2024-25 academic year.
The Big Ten Medal of Honor is awarded to one male and one female student-athlete from the graduating class of each member institution who has demonstrated excellence on and off the field throughout their college career. The highest honor that a student competing in conference athletics can achieve in the Big Ten, the award was established in 1915 and was the first award in intercollegiate athletics to demonstrate support for the educational emphasis placed on athletics. During the past century, the Big Ten Medal of Honor has been awarded to more than 1,500 honorees. These individuals have translated their campus experience into success in all walks of life.
One of the most prolific tight ends in Penn State history, Warren demonstrated exceptional commitment to his academics throughout his time at Penn State. He graduated in Fall 2023 with a degree in advertising/public relations in just three years, earning a cumulative GPA of 3.36, and earn a second degree in Telecommunications in Fall 2024. He was a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy, the “Academic Heisman” of College Football.
Warren finished his career as the program’s all-time leader among tight ends in total touchdowns (25), receptions (153), receiving yards (1,839), receiving touchdowns (19) and 100-yard games (5). Among all Nittany Lion receivers, he ranks fifth in career touchdown receptions, ninth in catches, and 14th in receiving yards. His production also stands out across the Big Ten, where he tied for fourth all-time among tight ends in receptions and receiving touchdowns and ranked sixth in career receiving yards. Over the course of 56 games and 31 starts, he not only made 153 receptions but also added 224 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, while completing three passes for 35 yards and a score. He recorded 24 catches of 20-plus yards and closed his career with a reception in 32 straight games, including a streak of 22 consecutive games with a catch of at least 14 yards.
His 2024 senior campaign was record-shattering. He became the first Penn State player to reach 100 receptions in a season, finishing with a school- and Big Ten tight end-record 104 catches for 1,233 yards. His four rushing touchdowns that year also made him the only Big Ten tight end since 1956 to accomplish that feat in a single season. He ranked second in Penn State history for single-season receiving yards and fourth in Big Ten history for single-season receptions. Nationally, he finished tied for second in the FBS in catches and seventh in receiving yards.
His historic senior season earned him the John Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end, and a seventh-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting. He was named a first-team All-American by the FWAA and The Sporting News and earned second-team honors from Walter Camp, the AFCA, and the Associated Press. He was the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year and a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection. Over the course of the year, he was recognized as the Fiesta Bowl Offensive Player of the Game, a finalist for the Paul Hornung Award and a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year.
Warren was selected 14th overall by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is Penn State’s third tight end to be selected in the first round of an NFL Draft, joining Ted Kwalick (7th overall, San Francisco; 1969) and Kyle Brady (9th overall, New York Jets; 1995).
On and off the field, Gordon has made an extraordinary impact on the Penn State community, as well as the Nittany Lion softball team. While completing a double major with a 3.93 GPA, Gordon has also established herself as one of the most dominant student-athletes in the Nittany Lion softball program’s history. She has a pair of All-Big Ten Second Team and NFCA All-Region Second Team accolades adorning her resume, helping lead PSU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in over a decade during the 2024 campaign while anchoring the highest-scoring offense in program annals in the 2025 campaign. Gordon completed her Nittany Lion career with the fourth-most home runs hit in a Penn State batting career, logging 28 since her inaugural appearance on the diamond in 2022.
Off the field, Gordon has taken interest the Special Olympics program in Happy Valley, taking part in the Special Olympics Sports Fest at PSU in June of last year. She has made a number of appearances at area elementary schools to connect with local children and encourage reading. In November, Gordon capitalized on her experiences with the local YMCA to take part in a pep rally and engage the community by encouraging the entire Penn State softball roster to join her in that endeavor. Over the holiday season, Gordon helped prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to spread holiday cheer while fighting hunger in her local communities. This spring, Gordon developed an undergraduate thesis and presented it to senior athletics administrators and mental health professionals to help drive awareness and build support for student-athlete mental health initiatives. Gordon is also an active member of Penn State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Athletic Department Leadership Institute and Penn State Christian Athletes.
