Penn State Tight End Andrew Rappleyea Has 'Long-Term' Injury

The redshirt freshman started the Nittany Lions' opener and said he had made his "biggest strides" recently.

Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who started the opening game at West Virginia and was poised for a larger offensive role, is out with a "long-term injury," coach James Franklin told reporters Tuesday in State College. Franklin did not discuss the nature of the injury.

Rappleyea, a redshirt freshman, played 24 snaps in his first career start as the Nittany Lions defeated West Virginia 34-12. Though Rappleyea did not make a catch, Franklin said that the tight end "played really well" and appeared ready to make an impact this season.

"We've had a ton of confidence in him for a while," Franklin said after the West Virginia game. "Football's very important to him. He's committed, he's athletic, he's a great route-runner and he wants to be a physical tight end, which is something that's very important to us here."

Rappleyea participated in a media call Sept. 4, three days before Penn State's home opener against Bowling Green, and Franklin said after that game that Rappleyea's injury was "very, very recent." Rappleyea used crutches on the sideline during the game.

During the media call, Rappleyea said he was readying to take on a "bigger plate" in Penn State's offense. He had started the opener after two tight ends, Khalil Dinkins and Jerry Cross, were ruled out for the game.

"It felt totally normal," Rappleyea said of his first start. "It felt long-anticipated, exciting. [There were] a lot of mixed emotions for sure. But you know, I felt like another day in the office day and at practice."

Rappleyea, a 4-star prospect in the 2023 recruiting class, played in three games last season before redshirting. The 6-4, 250-pound Rappleyea was the No. 3 overall tight end in the class, according to On3, and No. 7 by ESPN. Rappleyea said he had made some of his "biggest strides" recently, and coaches praised his accelerated development at the position.

"I feel like I developed faster than I almost expected to," Rappleyea said. "I feel like I made some of the biggest strides in the past six months, in the past two camps, than I've made in a long time, and I feel really good about my game right now and where I'm at."

Rappleyea credited senior tight end Tyler Warren for encouraging his development, and Franklin drew a comparison between the two. Warren caught eight passes for 146 yards against Bowling Green, setting the program's single-game record for receiving yards by a tight end.

"As you guys know, I keep saying that Tyler Warren is the most compete tight end in the country," Franklin said after the West Virginia game. "I think [Rappleyea] has the chance to be one of those guys as well."

Penn State has had availability issues at tight end early this season. After Dinkins and Cross missed the opener, Rappleyea was out for the Bowling Green game. That prompted Penn State to start true freshman Luke Reynolds at tight end.

No. 8 Penn State (2-0) is off this week. The Nittany Lions return action Sept. 21 against Kent State at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.

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