Four-star TE Andrew Rappleyea finds the right fit with Penn State
Tight end Andrew Rappleyea has been locked in with Penn State since last spring. On Wednesday he signed as the Nittany Lions’ highest-rated skill position player on offense. The four-star prospect put pen to paper on National Signing Day in what was the culmination of years of hard work.
“I’m just excited. I mean, ever since I committed in April, I’ve just been looking forward to the day where I can just make it official,” Rappleyea told BWI earlier this week. “It’s all gonna be history after that. I’m just gonna be working my tail off every day. Wednesday’s gonna be a regular day but I’m just excited. I’m ready to get there. I’m ready to get to work.”
Rappleyea’s whirlwind recruitment with Penn State and Michigan
His fairytale ending with the Nittany Lions almost didn’t happen, however. Rappleyea planned to commit to Penn State on January 3 of this past year, but the staff was in a bind with numbers. He also didn’t get the hint, or the text rather, when tight ends coach Ty Howle tried to push him in the right direction before the Nittany Lions took a pledge from Maryland four-star Neeo Avery on New Year’s Eve.
Hear the full interview on the BWI Daily Edition
“I call them January 3. I was like, “Coach, want to commit. I’m locked in.” He was like, oh, like, this is awkward,” Rappleyea recalled. “They told me that they were going to figure it out and do some moving around. The reality was that it would have been four tight ends. That’s hard. I get what they were saying, they told me from the jump that they would have to honor the word of the guys who got there first. So that was the reality of that.”
Rappleyea committed to Michigan three weeks later, but kept the Nittany Lions in the back of his mind. He took visits to both in the spring and couldn’t shake the feeling that his future wasn’t in Ann Arbor. First, however, he had to break the news to Wolverines assistant Grant Newsome, who himself chose the Wolverines over the Nittany Lions as a recruit.
“I just told him straight up, I’m gonna go to Penn State,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go there. There was a lot of big situation I told [Newsome] about. I was always fully clear and honest with him, which he appreciated. I don’t even remember if he said anything. He was like, “OK.” Thank you, bye. Then I called Penn State and committed.”
Inevitable Pat Freiermuth comparisons are coming
The latter conversation occurred on April 3, when Rappleyea was finally able to join the Nittany Lions’ class. At that point, he was a 215-pound pass catcher who was still growing into his 6-foot-4.5-inch frame. Now 20 pounds heavier, he put together one of the more impressive senior seasons among the class. He now checks in as the No. 127 overall prospect in the Class of 2023 and the No. 6 tight end nationally.
On3 has him inside the Top100 at No. 80 overall and as the No. 2 tight end nationally behind Arizona five-star Duce Robinson. He’s even picked up comparisons to former Nittany Lions standout and current Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. Freiermuth took a similar path through the New England prep system and actually announced his signing for the Penn State staff on Wednesday.
“Even being put in the same sentence as Pat was kinda like, I don’t know if I’m even deserving of that. Because Pat is just an animal,” said Rappleyea, who got a chance to train with Freiermuth in the offseason. “But I definitely really appreciate the comments when people tell me that.
“But he would probably say the same thing. I’m my own player. Pat is Pat, and he’s the best version of himself, and he’s a damn good player. I want to be the best version of myself and I’m going to work my tail off to create a name for myself.”
