Penn State coach James Franklin confirmed what many fans feared.
Two hours before Saturday’s game against Bowling Green, second-year tight end Andrew Rappleyea unexpectedly showed up as “OUT” on the injury report.
He was then seen in crutches, raising plenty of concerns.
After the game, Franklin said Rappleyea’s injury was sudden.
“I can’t really speak at this stage on (Rappleyea), just because I don’t know,” Franklin said. “To be honest with you, this was very, very recent that this happened. So, I don’t have the information to give to you. And as you guys know, I won’t talk about injuries with you guys until I’ve talked to the players and their families and make sure everybody’s okay with it, with the information. But I also, again, I don’t know. Again, it was very recent.”
At Franklin’s next availability, which took place Tuesday evening after practice, he said Rappleyea has a “long-term injury.”
James Franklin confirms Penn State TE Andrew Rappleyea is out with a “long-term injury.”
— Seth Engle (@bigsengtweets) September 10, 2024
It’s not clear yet how long Rappleyea will be out but in any case, this is a big blow.
With Khalil Dinkins sidelined for Week 1’s season-opener at West Virginia, Rappleyea received a career-high 24 snaps and along with established veteran Tyler Warren, Dinkins and true freshman Luke Reynolds, he was supposed to play a big part in Penn State’s offense.
Now, Rappleyea is on the shelf, and although Franklin didn’t classify his injury as a season-ender, it’d be reasonable to wonder if he’ll play another snap in 2024.
Rappleyea is a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder who is from Millbrook, New York but played his last two seasons in Massachusetts at Milton Academy. He’s drawn comparisons to a notable past Penn State TE: Merrimack, Massachusetts native Pat Freiermuth.
