Andrew Rappleyea Film Room: Penn State lands another tight end

Give a gold star to Penn State tight end coach Ty Howel. He has successfully recruited four players to his position for the Class of 2023. The latest, and probably last, is four-star tight end from Milton Academy in New England, Andrew Rappleyea. The 6-4, 215-pound athlete initially chose the Michigan Wolverines after the room filled up in front of him, but a series of events led to an opportunity to become a Nittany Lion. 

Penn State commit Andrew Rappleyea opens up about decision

Just because he was the fourth player to commit to the class doesn’t mean he’s the worst of the bunch. In fact, Rappleyea is the best pure tight end that has come through the room this cycle. We’ll get into what he does well and his areas of development in his film evaluation. 

Andrew Rappleyea: Strengths

Route running: The most exciting part of Rappleyea’s game is his route running. He’s advanced in nearly every skill aspect, especially for a tight end. He gets off the line of scrimmage well, he sells routes with head fakes, and he can create sharp cuts at the stem with good athleticism and technique. His toe-drag into a turn is particularly effective to help him change directions at high speed. 

On top of that, he is a threat to catch the ball at every field level. He’s an excellent deep receiver that can track the ball over his shoulder and has a good catch radius. Additionally, he has a good feel for breaking tackles and getting yards after the catch. While his level of competition plays into this, he shows skills that translate more than running away from lesser athletes. He has good vision to maneuver in traffic and lowers his shoulder at contact to gain extra yards. 

Run-Blocking: Tight ends at the high school level are rarely adept at both receiving and run blocking. Yet, that is precisely the profile for Rappleyea heading into his senior season. He’s not so oversized at 215 pounds that he can dominate every player with sheer size. Instead, he’s a tenacious blocker that uses excellent power, good leverage, and good hand fighting to bulldoze defenders out of the way. 

Versatility: Slot, wide, inline, wherever you want to line Rappleyea up; he’s effective. With his profile as a standout blocker, he can reasonably play either tight end role for Penn State and will have the skills to threaten the defense as a blocker or a receiver from any position. 

Rappleyea: Areas of Development

Size: At 6-4, 215, the only question for Rappleyea will be his final size and strength. If there was one reason that Penn State initially chose Neeo Avery over Rappleyea, my guess would be this. He’s just slightly smaller than the players they typically recruit, and he doesn’t have the same violent, explosive strength, or lengthy frame. In other words, he’s good at everything, but doesn’t have a defining physical trait.

However, this is not to say that he’s too weak or small because that is far from the case. The question is more about his ceiling and high-end upside. Will he be an explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands? Can his tenacity and strength translate to the next level? 

Based on his film and just how good he is now, my estimation is yes. He’ll be able to develop into a stronger, faster player to be a difference-maker at the next level. 

Run Blocking Technique: Players who like to intimidate defenders with their blocking tend to get reckless, and Rappleyea is no different. There are times on tape that he’ll attack with his head down, launch over his toes, and miss. These are small, correctable tendencies that require the maturity and focus that come from time on task. His tenacity and overall success are more important than this nit-picky detail. 

Vertical leap and contested-catch: One element that is lacking from Rappleyea’s tape is vertical leap and contested catches. As a result, it’s hard to say if he’s a good leaper. His focus at the catch point is good on film, but he’s such a good separator that there aren’t any plays in full games or highlights where he makes a catch with a player draped on his back. This skill is an essential piece of information for any receiver, but especially a tight end. It will be something to look for in his senior film. 

Projection at Penn State

H-Back: At 6-4, Rappleyea would be a great H-back for Penn State with great movement skills and bad temperament. While there isn’t a huge difference other than when Penn State plays in two tight end sets, Rappleyea’s “smaller” frame might lend itself better to that position than as the inline blocker. 

Y Tight End: Now forget everything I just said. If Rappleyea can bulk up to around 250 pounds, he’ll have the weight to back up his game. He already punches above his weight, and if he can get there, he could be a difference-making inline tight end that the defense can’t account for. 

Where Penn State football’s Class of 2023 ranks following Andrew Rappleyea’s commitment

The floor is very high for Andrew Rappleyea. After watching his film, he’s the best positionally talented player since Pat Freiermuth to commit to Penn State. While he doesn’t have the same size and strength right now that Freiermuth had his senior season, both are excellent route runners with mature games and versatility. That’s not a bad place to start.