Penn State football will be without one of its blossoming offensive weapons for the foreseeable future.
Coach James Franklin said after practice on Tuesday that tight end Andrew Rappleyea had sustained a “long-term injury.” Rappleyea was ruled inactive ahead of Saturday’s 34-27 win against Bowling Green and was seen on the sideline in crutches.
The redshirt freshman played a significant role in the season-opener at West Virginia, a game in which he tallied the second-most snaps of any tight end after starter Tyler Warren. His workload was only expected to increase this season, a year that’s made Franklin say Rappleyea has a “chance” to be the “most complete tight end in the country,” like Warren.
“I feel just with my confidence and reps after reps and a whole spring ball and then a camp where I was taking a lot of reps with some of our best players, kind of, pushed me to develop faster than I almost expected to,” Rappleyea said last week. “… I feel like I made some of the biggest strides in the past six months, or the past two camps, that I’ve made in a long time.”
Rappleyea said he felt “really good” about his game as of last Wednesday. That was until the injury, which, Franklin said, occurred “very, very (recently)” before the game against the Falcons.
With Rappleyea out, a pair of tight ends will primarily be asked to step up for the remainder of the season. There’s former five-star true freshman Luke Reynolds, who inherited the bulk of Rappleyea’s reps against Bowling Green, and veteran Khalil Dinkins, who on Saturday returned from an injury that left him inactive in the season opener.
“I think we’re in a good spot. You know, those guys, they’ve gotten some game experience now, which is really good for Luke, especially. And I think Dink’s been a guy who’s had roles the past few years and he’ll have a bigger role,” Warren said on Saturday. “But just for Luke, being able to get in and get those first few games out of the way, it’ll be big for him. But he’s doing a great job, and I’m really excited for him.”
The 6-foot-4, 241-pound Reynolds joined the program in January as one of the nation’s most highly rated tight ends, and began to show signs of promise almost immediately. Reynolds had added 21 pounds by the start of the season, and appeared ready enough to Franklin for some meaningful playing time.
Reynolds is so far one of only three freshmen, alongside offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and safety Dejuan Lane, who have seen the field this season. Reynolds, Cousins and Lane have played in each of Penn State’s two games, but Reynolds has fielded the most snaps of the group.
“Luke’s a guy that we have a ton of confidence in, not only previously, but just how he’s approached things since he stepped on campus as a true freshman,” Franklin said. “Been very impressed with him.”
Dinkins has appeared in a total of 22 games over the past two seasons and certainly has the most experience in the tight end room aside from Warren. But his health, which impacted his availability in the preseason and the season opener, remains in question.
The idle week should help Dinkins in his transition to full recovery, but two other tight ends — Joey Schlaffer and Jerry Cross — could still be asked to step up whether he reaches 100% health or not when the Nittany Lions play Kent State on Sept. 21.
Warren, the leader of the room, does not appear concerned with the team’s wide array of options at tight end.
“I know there’s other guys like Joey and Jerry who will be ready to go if their numbers are called,” Warren said. “So I feel like we got good depth.”
