Andrew Rappleyea injury update: ‘Long-term’ timeline provided

Penn State will be without redshirt freshman tight end Andrew Rappleyea for an extended period of time due to an undisclosed injury he sustained over the past couple of weeks.

After suiting up for and playing 24 snaps in the season opener against West Virginia in Week 1, he wasn’t on the field for this past weekend’s scare against Bowling Green. Idle this week, Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin was short and sweet when describing where Rappleyea stands in his recovery.

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“Yeah, that’s a long-term injury,” Franklin told reporters on Tuesday. The details of his injury have not been revealed as of this report.

A product of the 2023 recruiting class, Rappleyea was one of the top tight ends in last year’s class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services. He was the No. 3 tight end in the country and No. 102 player overall as a four-star recruit.

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While he didn’t record any stats as a true freshman, ahead of the season opener against West Virginia Franklin had high praise for the now sidelined Rappleyea.

“Rap, as you guys know, there’s been an excitement about him since last year,” Franklin said. “He just continues to develop and get better. I think Tyler [Warren’s] influence on all those guys has been really good.

Warren, Penn State’s leading receiver after two weeks this season with 11 catches for 176 yards and a touchdown, is in his fourth season with the program. On track to become a 1,000-yard career receiver this season, he’s setting the example for guys like Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds who are young, talented tight ends on the Nittany Lions’ depth chart.

While Rappleyea continues on his road to recovery, Warren is expected to keep the tight end room steady alongside his run-blocking cohort in Dinkins — who has been dealing with injuries of his own — and a highly-touted true freshman in Reynolds, who may have to burn his redshirt thanks to their injuries.

Next up for Penn State is a Week 4 matchup against Kent State on Saturday. Kickoff and television designation are TBA.