Another key Penn State player has announced his return for the 2026 season.
Hours after OL Anthony Donkoh announced that he’d be coming back to Penn State, Donkoh’s classmate, Andrew Rappleyea, announced that he’d be doing the same.
This is a big guy to keep for Penn State.
The 6-foot-4, 252-pound tight end was one of Penn State’s most important offensive players by the end of the season, catching touchdown passes in each of PSU’s last three games and excelling in the blocking game as well. Rappleyea’s best college performance thus far came in the team’s regular-season finale against Rutgers, where he caught four passes for 73 yards– including a 53-yard touchdown.
In a statement posted to social media, Rappleyea started by thanking his former tight ends coach, Ty Howle, and his former head coach, James Franklin, both of whom are now at Virginia Tech.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I want to take a moment to thank Coach Howle and Coach Franklin for their contributions to my Penn State journey, helping me grow immensely both as a player and, more importantly, as a man,” he wrote. “I will forever be grateful for that.”
Rappleyea then expressed his love for Penn State and his optimism for the next era, led by Matt Campbell.
“This place is extremely close to my heart,” he wrote. “The past three years have been nothing but a blessing for me and my family. I look forward to building this with Coach Campbell, Coach (Taylor) Mouser, and my brothers in that locker room.
With that being said, I’m excited to announce I will be returning to Penn State next season.”
