The Virginia Tech Coaching Files: Ty Howle

Howle's Background

Ty Howle grew up in Bunn, NC, playing high school football for his father, David. Upon graduation, Ty committed to Joe Paterno and Penn State.

Howle was a redshirt sophomore in 2011, when Paterno was fired in the middle of the season after the Jerry Sandusky scandal rocked State College. Howle earned a starting role in his final season at Penn State, making 13 starts at center and left guard for Bill O'Brien.

In total, Howle played 47 games for Penn State and was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. 

Coaching Experience

Howle immediately transitioned to coaching when his playing days were over, serving as a graduate assistant at NC State. To no one's surprise, it wouldn't take Howle long to return to his alma mater.

Howle's first full-time gig came at Western Illinois, where he coached alongside current Virginia Tech analyst David Rocco. Howle was promoted to assistant head coach in 2018, helping to lead a staff that added former Virginia Tech wideout Dyrell Roberts the same year.

James Franklin pulled Howle back to State College in 2020, having Howle work with the offensive line and tight ends. Howle started coaching tight ends full-time in 2021, replacing former Virginia Tech offensive coordinator Tyler Bowen, who was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Franklin rewarded Howle and current Notre Dame associate head coach Ja'Juan Seider with the co-offensive coordinator tag in 2023, having the two work under Mike Yurcich, the team's real offensive coordinator. When Yurcich left after the 2023 season, Howle and Seider were passed over for Andy Kotelnicki.

What Does Howle Bring to the Table?

What Howle may lack in experience, he makes up for it with noticeable results. Here are some notable tight ends that Howle coached at Penn State...

• Brenton Strange: Earned Third Team All-Big Ten Honors in 2022 after catching 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns. Strange was selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• Theo Johnson: Under Howle's watch, Johnson consistently made a larger and larger impact in Penn State's offense. Johnson caught 34 passes for 341 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023, catching the attention of the New York Giants, who drafted Johnson in the fourth round the following spring.
• Tyler Warren: In four seasons under Howle, Warren caught 153 passes for 1,839 yards and 19 touchdowns. Warren also rushed for four touchdowns in 2024, adding to his historic season that culminated in him being named a First Team All-American, winning the John Mackey Award, and being drafted in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Howle coached tight ends for five seasons at Penn State and had three of his players drafted to the NFL, two of whom were drafted in the first two rounds. When was the last time a Virginia Tech assistant could make the same claim?

Even though Howle will continue coaching tight ends at Virginia Tech, he's taking on a much larger and more important role. Howle is set to be a full-time playcaller for the first time in his career, which any reasonable Hokie might find unsettling. After all, Tech fans did endure three seasons of Tyler Bowen, and we all know how maddening that was.

Aside from player development, Howle is also a pretty accomplished recruiter. 247Sports credits Howle as the primary or secondary recruiter for eight four-star commitments at Penn State