Where Penn State football's Class of 2023 ranks following Andrew Rappleyea's commitment
Penn State Nittany Lions football received some huge news on Sunday as tight end Andrew Rappleyea flipped his commitment to PSU from Michigan.
In doing so, Rappleyea became the eighth member of Penn State’s Class of 2023.
He’s the No. 266 overall prospect in the cycle according to the On3 Consensus, the No. 16 tight end and the No. 4 prospect out of the state of Massachusetts.
On3’s own recruiting experts rate him higher. According to On3’s individual rankings, Rappleyea is the No. 167 overall prospect and No. 9 tight end.
So where does his commitment leave Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class?
The Nittany Lions currently sit fifth in the On3 Consensus team rankings.
Their eight commits carry an average rating of 89.91. Penn State has four three-star pledges and four four-star commits, according to the Consensus.
Penn State sits narrowly above Arkansas in sixth place, with Michigan and Oklahoma coming in at Nos. seven and eight.
Ahead of the Nittany Lions are USC, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State — in that order.
The Buckeyes are the only Big Ten team with a better recruiting class than Penn State as of early April.
Rappleyea breaks down his commitment
Back in November, Rappleyea, who grew up in New York but now plays at Milton Academy in Massachusetts, almost ended his recruitment. After taking his second unofficial visit to Penn State on Nov. 23, Rappleyea seriously considered committing, but he also didn’t want to rush it. Elite programs up and down the East Coast were showing more interest, so he decided to take his time. After all, he still had a full year until he could sign.
Fast-forward to Christmas time and he was seriously considering it again, but with a few players already committed at the position, Penn State’s coaches found themselves in a tough position. Joey Schlaffer and Mathias Barnwell were both planning to play the position at the time, but the real issue came on New Year’s Eve, as another highly coveted player, Neeo Avery, committed to Penn State that evening.
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“Coach [Ty] Howle was very sincere about the situation, but they were pretty much full,” Rappleyea said. “They asked me to be patient as they talked some things out, but I ended up being impulsive and committed to Michigan.”
Rappleyea committed to Jim Harbaugh and his staff on Jan. 16. He even asked Penn State to stop communicating with him. Howle respected his wishes, but when a change in Michigan’s coaching staff took place – Jay Harbaugh, who recruited Rappleyea, moved from tight ends to safeties – it opened the door back up.
“Coach Howle explained to me the changes that had taken place, and that Mathias was probably going to focus on defensive tackle now. He said Neeo was probably going to be a defensive end. So, he pretty much made it clear that I had a spot now,” said Rappleyea.
Throughout his recruitment, Rappleyea has done his research every step of the way. This final decision would be no different, so he decided additional visits would probably be best. He and his family took those visits over the past three weeks, first returning to Penn State on March 19. He then went to Michigan, March 24, before finishing with a trip to Boston College yesterday, April 2.
Returning to Penn State gave him the opportunity to not just spend time with Howle, but the entire coaching staff. PSU’s group approach in recruiting played a massive role in swaying Rappleyea to the blue and white.
“I feel like I know everyone at Penn State,” he said. “I’ve talked and texted with just about everybody. [James] Franklin texts and calls my parents twice a week. I probably had three or four meals with them when I visited, too. I felt like I really got to know everyone there. It was a no-brainer.”
