Tag: Andrew Rappleyea

Penn State football locks in Class of 2023

Here is every player Penn State has announced in its Class of 2023.

Penn State’s start to the early signing period on Wednesday ended with the official signing of 22 members of its Class of 2023. The recruiting class is one balanced with offense and defense and will add some terrific quality and depth on the line of scrimmage a year after addressing some skill positions in the Class of 2022. And while the latest recruiting class didn’t necessarily go off without a mild bump in the road on the first day of the early signing period, it is getting head coach James Franklin excited about the program’s future.

Penn State made sure to sign some of the top players from in the state but also did some solid work beyond the state’s borders. This was especially true in Virginia as the Nittany Lions kicked the class off with the first commitment on the board from Virginia offensive lineman [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] and continued to add help from the state right up until the final days of the recruiting efforts before the early signing period opened. In all, Penn State added players from nine different states ranging from Alabama to New York.

Here is the full rundown of the confirmed additions to the Penn State program in the Class of 2023.

Recruiting Snapshot: 4-Star tight end Andrew Rappleyea

A quick snapshot profile of Penn State Class of 2023 tight end Andrew Rappleyea

Penn State has been recruiting and developing tight ends at an accelerated rate for the better part of the last decade. The next one signed up to take part is now 4-star recruit [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag].

In the last decade they have recruited and developed successful NFL tight ends Mike Gesicki, Jesse James, and Pat Freiermuth who is the most recent one. Those three have all seen NFL success with James and Gesicki even receiving big contracts as well. There will never be a better recruiting tool than producing NFL talent, look at Alabama and Ohio State for examples.

That being said, Penn State has shown they can produce talent and coach them up. Rappleyea will be hope and work to be the next Penn State tight end after current starter [autotag]Theo Johnson[/autotag] departs for the NFL in the coming years. Get to know the Massachusetts native before he gets on campus.

Where is Penn State ranked in Class of 2023 after latest commitment?

Penn State moved up in the 247Sports national recruiting rankings after a commitment from Ejani Shakir.

Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] went to bed Wednesday night feeling pretty good about his latest recruiting victory. Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Ejani Shakir[/autotag] gave his commitment to the Nittany Lions on Wednesday night to give Penn State its first wide receiver in the Class of 2023, and that helped move Penn State back up the national recruiting rankings as a result.

According to the updated 247Sports composite rankings, Penn State has moved up to No. 3 in the latest class rankings. The move up a few spots allowed Penn State to pass over Georgia and Ohio State in the process. The Buckeyes had recently moved ahead of Penn State after the Nittany Lions were ranked on top of the Big Ten class rankings to begin the month of May.

Notre Dame currently sits on top of the Class of 2023 rankings with one five-star player and 10 four-star commitments already on the board. Texas Tech continues to hold surprisingly strong at No. 2 with five four-star commitments and 13 three-star players lined up for the Class of 2023. Texas Tech has 20 commitments already to help pad the overall numbers in their favor for now.

Penn State’s current recruiting class includes one five-star player with offensive lineman [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] (Penn State’s first commitment for the Class of 2023). Penn State also has the top player in Pennsylvania (OT [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag]), a four-star tight end who flipped from Michigan ([autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag]), and one of the top 10 players from New Jersey in Shakir.

Penn State’s Class of 2022 was one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, and easily one of the best ever signed by Franklin. So far, things continue to look pretty good for Penn State in the Class of 2023 as well.

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Penn State lighting the recruiting trail on fire

After a successful Class of 2022, Penn State’s efforts in the Class of 2023 continue to show positive results.

Penn State has had top 20 recruiting classes for several years but now they seem to have really figured things out and [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] is just rolling. Penn State has been adding recruits non-stop, including flipping a top target from rival Michigan just last week. All of this is something that Penn State fans should start getting used to.

Penn State having the recruiting year it is having with them coming off one of their worst seasons under James Franklin says something even louder. Franklin has been able to see his narrative and record as a coach, not to mention his recent run of sending players to the NFL has helped matters too.

The current state of affairs in the recruiting world has Penn State sitting with the fourth overall class in the country only behind Notre Dame, Texas Tech, and Arkansas, according to the most recent update to the 247Sports composite rankings. This also makes Penn State the top-rated recruiting class in the Big Ten with five schools from the conference in the top 15 of the country.

Penn State’s Class of 2023 already has one five-star player in the 247Sports composite player rankings with offensive lineman [autotag]Alex Birchmeier[/autotag] getting the recruiting class off to a terrific start as the first commitment on the board. Three additional four-star players — offensive tackle [autotag]J’ven Williams[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag], and athlete [autotag]Mathias Barnwell[/autotag] — have helped add some more great quality depth to the recruiting efforts, and more will surely be on the way.

Franklin has talked about adding to the defensive line and the recruiting portal reflects they are spending the time on it. They have met with transfers and are also in the running for landing the nation’s top edge recruit in Anthony Hill and the top two defensive tackles in Peter Woods and James Smith. Landing all of them or just two of them would do wonders for this recruiting class and have it competing for the top spot.

Plenty of time left for summer visits and some may even show up and commit during the Spring Game, lots of time left for Franklin to continue to lay the foundation for this team for years to come.

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Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Penn State flips Class of ’23 TE from Michigan commitment

Class of 2023 Andrew Rappleyea announced his commitment to Penn State, thus flipping from Michigan

There are few better ways to start a week off than successfully managing to flip a high target on the recruiting trail from a Big Ten rival, which is exactly what Penn State did on Sunday. Class of 2023 tight end [autotag]Andrew Rappleyea[/autotag] announced he has committed to Penn State, thus backing off on his previous commitment to the Michigan Wolverines.

Rappleyea is a three-star tight end from Millbrook, New York according to the 247Sports composite ranking (On3 ranks Rappleyea as a four-star prospect). He transferred to Milton Academy in Massachusetts, where he has since become one of the top recruits out of the New England area.

“Michigan is a great place with great people but the reality is, I committed too quickly and take full responsibility for that,” Rappleyea said in a statement shared on his Twitter account on Sunday.

“I have come to realize that my heart is at Penn State,” Rappleyea continued to explain. “I have developed a strong relationship with the coaching staff dating back to my first visit last September. I’m excited about articulating at Penn State and playing football four hours from my home.”

“I am completely and fully committed to Penn State,” Rappleyea went on to say. “My recruitment is closed.”

Here’s what you need to know about the newest member of Penn State’s Class of 2023.

Andrew Rappleyea’s Recruiting Profile

Rating

Stars Overall State Position
247 3 – 5 25
Rivals 4 – 6 14
ESPN – – – –
On3 Recruiting 4 167 4 9
247 Composite 3 373 5 19

Vitals

Hometown Millbrook, NY (Milton, MA)
Projected Position Tight End
Height 6-4
Weight 215
Class 2023

Recruitment

  • Offered on September 1, 2021
  • Unofficial visit on September 1, 2021
  • Unofficial visit on March 19, 2022
  • Commits on April 3, 2022

Offers

  • Boston College
  • Colorado
  • Duke
  • Florida
  • Kansas
  • Illinois
  • Louisville
  • Michigan
  • Michigan State
  • NC State
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio State
  • Ole Miss
  • Penn State
  • Pittsburgh
  • Rutgers
  • Temple
  • Tennessee
  • Vanderbilt
  • Virginia
  • Virginia Tech
  • Wake Forest
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

Twitter

Michigan football 2023 commit flips to rival school

Well, that’s a bummer.

And then, the Michigan football 2023 recruiting class was but one smaller.

The Wolverines got their seventh commit of the 2023 class just last week, when Georgia-based running back Benjamin Hall pledged to the maize and blue. But Michigan was in for a not-so-good surprise on Sunday morning.

After heavy flirtations with Penn State, Milton (Mass.) Academy three-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea decided not to join his former high school teammate Kalel Mullings in Ann Arbor after all. The day after the Wolverines held their spring game, Rappleyea announced on Twitter that he’s flipping to the Nittany Lions, saying it’s where his heart is in his post.

Rappleyea was Michigan’s only tight end commitment in this cycle, but the Wolverines took two in 2022, with Colston Loveland already on campus and Marlin Klein — who visited Ann Arbor for the spring game — arriving over the summer.

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Michigan football gets commitment from 2023 four-star TE

HUGE get for #Michigan! #GoBlue

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Michigan football is no stranger to getting commitments from the New England area, particularly Milton (Mass.) Academy. That’s where linebacker Kalel Mullings once called his high school home before joining the Wolverines, and now, one of his former teammates is set to join him in Ann Arbor.

Andrew Rappleyea is rated the No. 169 player in the country and the nation’s 10th-best tight end, according to On3’s proprietary rankings. He visited Michigan for the Ohio State game back in Nov. 2021 and was offered a month later. With offers from Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and others, it appeared that he was favoring the Nittany Lions above all else. However, on Sunday, Rappleyea pledged to become a Wolverine.

Rappleyea is the fifth member to join the 2023 class, with LB Raylen Wilson, DL Joel Starlings, WR Semaj Morgan, and K Adam Samaha already verbally committed.

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Michigan State offers 2023 3-star TE Andrew Rappleyea

Michigan State has extended a scholarship offer to 2023 three-star TE Andrew Rappleyea

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Michigan State has extended a scholarship offer to 2023 three-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea.

Rappleyea announced the scholarship offer from the Spartans via Twitter on Tuesday. He’s rated as the No. 23 tight end in the 2023 class by 247Sports.

Rappleyea now holds scholarship offers from Michigan State, Boston College, Ole Miss, Rutgers, Tennessee, Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.

Rappleyea is from Milton, Mass., and is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds.

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