This is one in a series of stories breaking down each player on Penn State football’s 2026 roster.
Andrew Rappleyea waited for his opportunity.
Last year, he finally got it.
Rappleyea, a redshirt junior tight end from Millbrook, New York, enters 2026 as one of the more experienced players in Penn State’s tight end room. At 6-4 242 pounds, he has the frame Penn State wants at the position and now has a season of meaningful production to build from.
Rappleyea played in 13 games during the 2025 season and made eight starts. He finished with 20 receptions for 180 yards and three touchdowns, averaging 9.0 yards per catch.
His role grew as the year went along.
Rappleyea opened the season with three catches for 33 yards against Nevada, including a 26-yard grab. He caught one pass for 11 yards against Villanova and added two catches for 11 yards at UCLA. Against Nebraska, he scored his first career touchdown on a 4-yard reception.
His best day came at Rutgers.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Rappleyea caught four passes for 75 yards and scored on a 53-yard touchdown, showing he could do more than just work underneath. He also added an 11-yard touchdown reception in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson and finished that game with five catches for 18 yards.
According to Pro Football Focus Rappleyea had 22 targets and caught 20 of them, good for a 90.9 percent catch rate. He posted 180 receiving yards, three touchdowns and 132 yards after the catch. His receiving grade was 66.5, while his overall offensive grade checked in at 63.0.
The blocking piece remains part of his development.
PFF credited Rappleyea with 234 run-blocking snaps in 2025, though his run-blocking grade was 55.5. In pass protection, he allowed one hurry and no sacks across limited work, posting a 68.9 pass-blocking grade.
Before Penn State: Rappleyea played at Milton Academy in Massachusetts and also spent time at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in New York. He was a four-star prospect and one of the top tight ends in the 2023 class.
Where He Stands: Rappleyea enters 2026 as a proven option.
Rappleyea has starts, production and bowl-game experience. Now the next step is becoming more consistent as a blocker while continuing to be a dependable target in the passing game.
Iowa State transfer Benjamin Brahmer projects to be the TE1, with Rappleyea slotted to be TE2.
