Penn State WR Mitchell Tinsley’s journey from JUCO walk-on to Rose Bowl

LOS ANGELES — Mitchell Tinsley’s journey to the Rose Bowl was improbable. The Penn State wide receiver knows that better than anyone.

“I’m still trying to grasp it,” Tinsley said with a smile Thursday at the Sheraton Grand in downtown Los Angeles. “It’s definitely surreal.”

When the No. 11 Nittany Lions take the field against No. 8 Utah on Monday, Tinsley will be Penn State’s leading receiver. With Parker Washington out with an injury, Sean Clifford will look Tinsley’s way as he has throughout this season.

But years ago, the situation Tinsley finds himself in now — fielding questions days before “The Granddaddy of Them All” and 24 hours after touring Disneyland — would have seemed as storybook as it gets. Tinsley, a one-year transfer, landed at Penn State by way of a long list of decisions, betting on himself time and time again.

In 2014, as a freshman at Lee’s Summit High School in Missouri, Tinsley chose to take a one-year hiatus from football. He played in middle school and excelled. But after talking to his dad, he wanted to give basketball more of a shot. That one-year hiatus turned into a three-year break from the game.

“I don’t know why I did that to myself,” Tinsley said, laughing. “But it all worked out.”

Tinsley returned to football as a senior at Lee’s Summit. He had 19 catches for 350 yards and six touchdowns, not enough film or attention to garner offers. Tinsley walked on at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he totaled 57 receptions for 656 yards and four touchdowns over two seasons in 2018 and ’19.

That earned him offers from a few lower-level FBS programs. Tinsley opted to play in Western Kentucky’s wide-open air raid offense, and he produced. The 6-foot-1 target led the Hilltoppers with 43 catches for 377 yards in a covid-shortened 2020 season before securing 87 receptions for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2021. Tinsley had 24 receptions of 20-plus yards that year, as many as Alabama’s Jameson Wiliams.

In just three years, the receiver who had to walk on at a junior college in Kansas was putting up bonkers numbers in the nation’s most prolific passing offense. And for his final season of eligibility, Tinsley wanted to test himself again. So he entered the transfer portal in search of one final home.

“During that process I wanted to take a chance and bet on myself, like I always do and always have,” Tinsley said. “Playing at the Power Five level and playing against the best competition week in and week out, that was really important to me.”

Tinsley, after a visit from receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield, committed last December to Penn State over Tennessee. He saw what Jahan Dotson accomplished before leaving for the NFL Draft and knew there would be an opportunity to be more than a depth piece. Penn State needed him to step in and step up, and he delivered.

With Penn State leaning more on its ground game and spreading the ball around to its tight ends, the senior hasn’t come close to matching his Western Kentucky numbers. But 45 catches for 528 yards and four touchdowns, good for second on the team in all three categories, is nothing to scoff at.

“Tinsley’s been awesome,” offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich said Thursday. “He comes from an offense at Western Kentucky that throws the ball 60 times per game. So coming to Penn State, the transition from a wide-open air raid to our offense is significant and different. … And not one time was there any indication of him being salty about not getting the ball. He’s a team guy. He loves to compete. He caught onto our offense very well. Smart guy. Dependable. He’s been top-notch. Love that kid.”

Tinsley has had moments of brilliance. His favorite plays were his 34-yard catch at Auburn and his one-handed snag against Minnesota. He’s had a flair for the dramatic while also being incredibly reliable. Tinsley has been a pillar on third down, accounting for 28 first downs — second on the team and one fewer than Washington.

“Mitch came in with one goal in mind, and that was to win football games and get better as a player,” Clifford said of his roommate. “He was in my ear 24/7 asking about the playbook, constantly wanting to get better. When can we run extra routes? When can we do this and that? It’s been a great relationship throughout the year. I’m definitely going to miss him, but I wish him well. Have one more with him.”

That one more is the Rose Bowl, the most iconic stage in the sport. And you can bet on Tinsley taking it all in.

“I’m enjoying every single day. Practices, our downtime, I’m enjoying every aspect of it,” Tinsley said. “It’s a dream come true to play in this game.”