Khalil Dinkins injury update: James Franklin optimistic about Penn State tight end's status

Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins was back on the practice field on Wednesday after he missed part of fall camp and was ruled out of the season opener against West Virginia.

Dinkins does not have an official injury designation for the Nittany Lions’ Week 2 matchup against Bowling Green, and head coach James Franklin said he feels optimistic about his chances to see the field on Saturday.

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“But there’s still the issue that he’s missed a ton of time, both mentally and physically, so we got to knock the rust off,” Franklin said on Wednesday. “And we’ll see — if he’s ready, he, as you guys have seen, can be a weapon for us. But if he’s not physically ready or mentally ready, then we feel like we got some guys like Luke [Reynolds] and others, Joey [Schlaffer] and some other guys that we think can fill that role.

“Ideally, we’d love to have him back so, specifically with Luke, we can save some of those games but we’re going to do what we have to do this week to play well.”

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Reynolds, a true freshman and one of the top-rated TE’s in the 2024 class, may be looking to preserve his redshirt this season but depending on Dinkins status throughout the season, he may have to sacrifice it for the greater good of the team. However, other tight ends like Schlaffer and Andrew Rappleyea can be asked to provide minutes to keep the rotation fresh.

Those three are filling in for Dinkins, who played 12 games for Penn State last season and served mainly as a run-blocking tight end. This year that may still be the case, as senior Tyler Warren serves was the main receiving tight end during the season opener. He was the only tight end to record any stats against the Mountaineers, hauling in three receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown.

With an emphasis on the run game, Ty Howle’s tight end group in Happy Valley helped the offensive line rush for 222 yards and a touchdown during the contest. They’ll hope to continue that effort with a full lineup in Week 2.

Kickoff between the Nittany Lions and Falcons is scheduled for Noon ET live on the Big Ten Network.