The countdown to kickoff rolls on and today we're down to 87 days until Penn State football returns on August 31 against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
In today's countdown to kickoff profile, Happy Valley Insider highlights No. 87 tight end Andrew Rappleyea.
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The Recruitment
Few schools have recruited tight end in recent cycles the way Penn State has. That continued with their 2023 class when Rappleyea signed with the Nittany Lions as a four-star recruit from Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts.
Rappleyea's recruitment was one that was not always all Nittany Lions. He committed to Michigan in January 2022. After spending a little over three months in the Wolverine recruiting class, Rappleyea flipped from Michigan to Penn State on April 3rd.
His flip came on the heels of a late March visit to Penn State. Before committing to Michigan, Rappleyea had visited Penn State multiple times. After he visited Happy Valley in March 2022 it became clear that the Nittany Lions were emerging as the leaders in his recruitment.
2024 Outlook
When the regular season begins, Rappleyea may find himself third on the tight end depth chart behind Tyler Warren and Kahlil Dinkins. However, it may not take him long to climb the depth chart.
Rappleyea has arguably the highest ceiling of any tight end on the roster. For a lot of reasons it's a lazy comparison, but there is a lot of fellow New Englander Pat Freiermuth in Rappleyea's game.
He is a plus athlete, but also has a great frame at 6'4", 250 pounds. This should help Rappleyea be able to round into becoming a physical player and strong blocker who is also a weapon with the ball in his hands. Rappleyea should become a red zone weapon and consist chains mover for Penn State, and that may begin this fall. Regardless of how touches are spread out at tight end, Rappleyea should see plenty of playing time this fall.
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