Penn State Football Waiting for Young TEs to Emerge With Andrew Rappleyea Out

From being billed as the next Tyler Warren to sustaining a “long-term injury,” life came at Penn State Football redshirt freshman tight end Andrew Rappleyea fast this week.

Coach James Franklin put Rappleyea’s ailment under that “long-term” umbrella when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday, which figures to put his final 10 games in jeopardy.

So, what does a long-term issue for Rappleyea mean for Penn State’s offense and for the Lions’ tight ends room?

Without the redshirt freshman in the mix at tight end, Penn State might not feel a big immediate hit, but the injury does muddy the waters for the future of the position with Rappleyea and Jerry Cross both missing time to injuries in 2024.

Tyler Warren can handle anything the coaching staff wants to throw at him, so Penn State’s tight ends are in great shape as long as he remains healthy. Warren also comes off a game where he set a new program record for receiving yards by a tight end with 146 in Saturday’s 34-27 win over Bowling Green. Warren is elite and lifts the lid at tight end, but the questions behind him are legitimate until someone steps forward.

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Young Penn State Tight Ends to Watch

Khalil Dinkins is the second-most proven commodity, and he’s now followed by redshirt freshman Joey Schlaffer and likely Luke Reynolds as the team’s third and fourth-best options. At least one of them will have an opportunity to absorb more work now with Rappleyea no longer an option for the foreseeable future.

Reynolds is the true freshman and former five-star whose athletic exploits have brought excitement to the program. And just last week against Bowling Green, Reynolds joined Warren in helping to spring running back Nick Singleton for a 41-yard touchdown run. Singleton worked his way to the backside and was off to the races, thanks to those blocks clearing the path in front of him.

“But just for Luke, being able to get in and get those first few games out of the way will be big for him,” Warren told reporters this week. “But he’s doing a great job, and I’m really excited for him and I know there’s other guys like Joey and Jerry will be ready to go if their number is called. So I feel like we got good depth.”

 

The depth might not *feel* impressive in the aftermath of Rappleyea’s injury, but Penn State’s recruiting at the position has been outstanding. Those efforts could yield big steps forward for Cross, Reynolds and/or Schlaffer as they learn and grow into the position. Their time is coming to sink or swim, especially looking beyond the ’24 season.

If anything, the loss of Rappleyea to injury puts teammates in position where they have to either grow or take a backseat to someone who does. By the time Rappleyea returns later this year or in 2025, the fight could be back on for positioning on the depth chart.

Reynolds has a chance to be the guy who makes a big move and readies himself for a starring role in ’25 and beyond.

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