Recruit rewind: Penn State TE Luke Reynolds aims to follow similar path as new teammate with the Lions

Penn State signed an advanced, athletic tight end in four-star Luke Reynolds back in December. In January, he enrolled along with 16 other signees to get a jumpstart on his time in State College. Get to know him below as Blue-White Illustrated continues to take a closer look at each member of the Class of 2024 over the next few weeks.

Luke Reynolds
Tight end
6-4, 228
Cheshire, Conn., Academy 
Westford, Mass.

Rankings	Stars	National	Position	State
On3 Industry	****	62	4	1
On3	****	74	4	2
ESPN	****	70	5	2
Rivals	****	194	9	2
247Sports	*****	29	1	1

Statistics

–Caught 48 passes for 754 yards and nine total touchdowns as a senior while averaging a whopping 15.7 yards per catch

–Recorded 56 tackles (2 for loss) on defense

–Had 3 interceptions in 2023

Notable

–Led Cheshire Academy to a win in the NEPSAC Bowl Championship in 2023

–Was the NEPSAC MVP as a senior

–Earned invites to the All-American and Under Armour All-American bowl but played in neither due to enrolling early.

Recruitment

–Committed to Penn State on March 25, 2023

–Recruited by Ty Howle

–Picked Penn State over Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, and Duke

–Officially visited on June 9, 2023

Projection: Reynolds comes to Penn State with the looks of a ready-made instant impact contributor. He shot up the recruiting rankings during his senior season and has the size and athleticism to possibly play early. The problem is he enters a room that returns 2023 starter Tyler Warren plus backup Khalil Dinkins and redshirt freshman Andrew Rappleyea. Joey Schlaffer and Jerry Cross will fight for playing time, too.

We see Reynolds as someone who could work his way into being on the fringe of burning his redshirt who plays in four regular season games and only plays a fifth before the postseason if injuries make it a necessity. But, it will take plenty of work, as this room is loaded with talent. Taking a path similar to Rappleyea’s freshman year, which saw him see some time but not much, is also on the table as a possibility.

They Said It

Cheshire Academy Head Coach Bill Mella: “Luke is simply the definition of competitor! He leads in the  classroom, locker room and on the field. He will always do extra and brings teammates along to be  better. They rise to his example and it’s his work ethic that makes everyone around him play at a higher  level. I love this young man and feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to coach, work and  witness his journey!”

Get to know Penn State tight end Luke Reynolds

Penn State was one of the first programs to realize that Massachusetts native and Cheshire, Conn., Academy standout Luke Reynolds could be a tight end at the next level. It felt that way despite the fact that he was a quarterback at the time it first picked up interest in him. If the story sounds familiar, it should: Expected 2024 starter and former high school quarterback Tyler Warren has already made a big impact on the Lions’ tight ends room in blue and white and is on track to make his biggest splash yet this fall.

As for Reynolds, his journey from the man under center to the man catching passes started during his junior season. The Lions worked him out at that position at a camp in the summer of 2022 and were impressed. That fall, his high school coach decided to see what it would look like at the prep level. Success quickly followed. 

“For the first game, I was just playing quarterback,” Reynolds told BWI. “During the second game is when we started switching back and forth. We had another quarterback on the team, Drew Hall, who’s committed to Navy. He was also a senior. So, every time I was in at quarterback, he would go play the H-Back or tight end position. Then, we’d go vice versa and he’d go to the quarterback position and I would try H-back or tight end. 

“We saw a lot of positive things when I was at tight end, so we just kind of kept it going from there. By the end of the season, I was playing the majority of my time at tight end.”

More: Who’s showing out on offense in Penn State’s winter workouts?

Penn State took notice and continued to like what it saw. It offered on March 18, 2023 following an unofficial visit. Reynolds committed to the Lions seven days later and was set on his college destination from there.

“I would say the environment was big for me,” Reynolds, who was recruited by Penn State tight ends coach Ty Howle, told BWI. “We got to attend a practice, so seeing the energy from the coaches and players was really unmatched. But there were so many benefits. I would also say the proximity to home. They play some of the best college football in the nation there, so being able to play at that level, on the East Coast where my parents can attend the games, that’s a big thing. Also, just the reputation at Penn State. All the facilities, the traditions, the people. Everything just lived up to the hype at Penn State. When you get to a place like that, and it lives up to the hype, it just makes your experience so much better.”

Penn State’s initial evaluation was backed up by Reynolds’ meteoric rise in the recruiting rankings. When he committed, he was the No. 977 nationally and No. 47 at the tight end position in the On3 Industry Rankings. He blew up at the Elite 11 Finals and was an All-22 MVP in the summer of 2023. That, combined with a strong senior season, put him inside of the top 100 at No. 62 in the On3 Industry Rankings. He was the No. 4 tight end. 

More: Who were the Penn State competitors of the day from winter workout No. 6?

“I think there’s just a wide variety of skill that Luke Reynolds brings to the table at the position,” On3 scouting director Charles Power said. “I think if you’re a Penn State fan, you should be really excited about landing him and Andrew Rappleyea back-to-back. Those two guys have really advanced skill levels at the position. If you’re a Penn State fan, I’d be rooting for multiple tight end sets with those guys in the future because I think they can do a lot and add some differentiation to the offense.”

All of it helped springboard him into a January enrollment at Penn State, where he hopes to parlay strong winter workouts and spring practice into a chance to see playing time as a freshman coming out of summer camp.

“It’s going to be a great opportunity to jumpstart my college development process and being able to get around the guys and get into the tight end room quicker,” Reynolds said.