Penn State Football opened practice Tuesday to the media during the first of two bye weeks this season for the Nittany Lions.
Even though the bye week comes in week three after Penn State Football has only played two games, the timing of the bye week is ideal for the Nittany Lions recovering from more “bumps and bruises” than previous few years, according to Penn State head football coach James Franklin.
Here are a few injury updates during the bye week for Penn State Football
Tight end Andrew Rappleyea
Redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea was a surprise starter in week one against West Virginia as fellow tight end Khalil Dinkins missed the latter part of fall camp and week one with an undisclosed injury.
While Dinkins returned for the Nittany Lions in week two against Bowling Green, Andrew Rappleyea was a surprising addition to the game availability report, being listed as “out” for Penn State a few hours prior to Saturday’s game. Rappleyea was seen at practice last week after starting against West Virginia week one, making his addition to the list even more surprising.
His addition to the list, however, became more clear after Rappleyea was seen on crutches on Penn State’s sideline during the game. After practice Tuesday, Franklin noted that Rappleyea’s injury is a “long term” injury, without adding further context. With Rappleyea sidelined, Penn State will have increasing pressure to burn freshman tight end Luke Reynolds’ redshirt after the former five-star has already appeared in two of his allowed four games to keep his redshirt.
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Linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson
Linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson was not seen at practice for a second consecutive week after leaving with an injury against West Virginia in week one. Franklin was not asked about Robinson’s status moving forward and did not provide any update on the redshirt freshman.
Safety KJ Winston
Safety KJ Winston played the first quarter for Penn State Saturday against Bowling Green before exiting and not returning for the Nittany Lions. Winston was seen during the rest of the game in his uniform but without his helmet during the last three quarters of the game.
Franklin was not asked about Winston’s status moving forward and did not provide any update on the junior star safety. Winston was awarded as the Big Ten defensive player of the week after 12 tackles and a forced fumble against West Virginia in week one.
Penn State will have two more opportunities to hear from James Franklin before Penn State returns to action against Kent State on September 21. All eyes will be on these three injuries next week and moving forward for Penn State.
MORE: How James Franklin Hopes to Fix Penn State’s Defense
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