Tight end Andrew Rappleyea is another Penn State football player who bleeds blue and white, proving so when he decided to return to Happy Valley when head coach Matt Campbell was hired. Rappleyea was the Nittany Lion urging his teammates to run it back when the Transfer Portal opened at the start of January.
Khalil Dinkins built his perfect NFL tight end out of his former Penn State teammates
On Thursday, Feb. 26, he shared an update on his health via Instagram stories. Rappleyea was pictured laying down on the couch with a heavy wrap around his right foot.
The photo was captioned "John 13:7, we back soon," at least offering hope that he will return at some point before the start of the 2026 regular season.
With spring ball right around the corner, an Instagram post from TE Andrew Rappleyea this morning shows his right foot in a cast.
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) February 26, 2026
Rappleyea caught 20 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore. #WeAre #PennState pic.twitter.com/32qVqON4Ew
Penn State tight end Andrew Rappleyea sustains short-term injury to right foot
Lyle Alenstein of The Daily Collegian shared that Rappleyea was at the THON Explorers Program without a cast, wrap, or boot on his foot on Saturday, Feb. 21. Less than weeks prior, tight end Benjamin Brahmer told Mark Wogenrich of Penn State Nittany Lions on SI that he and the redshirt junior were on the golf course together.
On Wedneday, Feb. 26, media availability was held at Beaver Stadium. Including Brahmer and quarterback Rocco Becht, over 30 Nittany Lions were in attendance speaking to reporters. Rappleyea was not part of the group.
As reported by Penn State Nittany Lions on SI, Sean Fitz of Blue-White Illustrated said that Rappleyea's injury is short-term.
That's good news for Penn State. While Rappleyea is not new to recovering from injury, his previous setback was long-term. Rappleyea sustained a knee injury earlier in his collegiate season that ruled him out of all but one contest in 2024. He started in the season opener then missed the remainder of the year.
He is still not expected to participate much in spring practices and drills. However, given the expected short-term nature of his injury, Rappleyea should be back for the summer and full 2026 season foreseeing no complications in recovery and rehab.
Rappleyea played in all 13 games as a redshirt sophomore in 2025. He had 20 receptions for 180 yards and three touchdowns.