James Franklin, Penn State Football flip Michigan tight end commit

Three-star tight end Andrew Rappleyea flipped his commitment from Michigan to Penn State Football, one day after the Wolverine’s Maize and Blue game

Andrew Rappleyea visited Penn State’s campus less than two weeks ago, and on Sunday the 3-star tight end officially flipped from Michigan to Penn State Football.

Rappleyea took to Twitter to announce his decision, one that certainly had to be difficult to make.

Hailing from Milton, Mass. Rappleyea is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds. The last tight end from Massachusetts to end up at Penn State Football was Pat Freiermuth, and that went pretty well for both parties.

He is rated as the No. 19 tight end in the country according to the 247 Sports composite rankings. Outside of Penn State and Michigan, his offer sheet includes Florida, Michigan State, Ohio State, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Rappleyea joins Joey Schlaffer as the tight ends in Penn State’s 2023 recruiting class. The Nittany Lions recently lost a commitment from 4-star athlete Neeo Avery, who was bound to end up at either tight end or defensive end, so landing Rappleyea softs that blow to an extent.

This is definitely a statement by James Franklin and his staff to be able to flip a commitment from the defending Big Ten champs.

The Wolverines had a ton of momentum coming off of their College Football Playoff appearance, but the coaching staff underwent a lot of turnover with both coordinators taking new jobs and Jim Harbaugh being involved in the Minnesota Vikings head coaching vacancy.

This is the second notable recruiting battle over a tight end that Penn State and Michigan have been involved in over the past few recruiting cycles. Both schools were heavily involved in Theo Johnson’s recruitment during the 2020 cycle, with the Nittany Lions prevailing in the end.

Penn State football’s 2023 recruiting class once again has eight commits and ranks fifth in the national rankings. The Nittany Lions are going for back-to-back top ten recruiting classes for the first time in Franklin’s tenure.