Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
and 6 touchdowns on just 23 receptions this past fall. But even before he climbed to No. 2 at the tight end position in On3's national rankings, Rappleyea had the attention of top programs. Dozens of schools ex- tended offers, including Florida, Michi- gan, Ohio State and Tennessee. While Rappleyea always had high in- terest in the Lions, tight end prospects Mathias Barnwell and Joey Schlaffer were already committed, seemingly filling Penn State's needs at the posi- tion. Because of that, Rappleyea com- mitted to Michigan in January. In the spring, Penn State began showing an increased interest in Rap- pleyea. After multiple discussions, he switched his commitment to PSU, ad- mitting that it was the school he origi- nally wanted to play for. In addition to being the second- ranked tight end in the country, Rap- pleyea is now at No. 80 overall in the On300. That makes him the third high- est ranked player in Penn State's class, according to On3. MASON ROBINSON DE | 6-3 | 230 A three-star prospect from Bal- timore, Robinson surprised many observers in May when he commit- ted to Northwestern following an of- ficial visit. At the time, Penn State was considered a heavy favorite for the McDonogh School prospect, with Rob- inson having traveled to State College four times in a 10-month span. This past fall, the Wildcats went 1-11 and addressed that disappointing per- formance by firing three assistants after the season, including their defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. Robinson began having second thoughts and decided to give Penn State another look. He took an official visit Dec. 9-11 and ended up flipping his commitment to PSU just a couple days later, on Dec. 13. Robinson had a very impressive se- nior season at McDonogh, totaling 83 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 9 sacks. Even before that showing, though, he had the attention of some big-time schools, including Georgia, Miami, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon and Ten- nessee. His top five leading into his original commitment had been Penn State, Northwestern, Pitt, South Caro- lina and Virginia Tech. Robinson is the fifth player from McDonogh to commit to Penn State in the past five years, joining linebacker Curtis Jacobs, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, and defensive tackles PJ Mustipher and Dvon Ellies. TA'MERE ROBINSON LB | 6-3 | 225 Robinson was long considered one of Penn State's most important targets in the 2023 recruiting class. A native of Pittsburgh, he has been ranked among the state's best prospects dating back to when he was an underclassman. He finished his career at Pittsburgh's Brashear High listed as On3's No. 5 player in Pennsylvania. Robinson earned an offer from the Nittany Lions following his sophomore season. He had visited campus once as a freshman, then was forced to wait until the summer of 2021 to take any visits due to the pandemic. Robinson traveled to State College four times in a four-month span, prompting many to speculate that the Lions were the team to beat. The four-star prospect had a setback midway through his junior season, however, tearing his anterior cruci- ate ligament. The injury forced him to postpone any additional visits until the spring of 2022. While Robinson was recovering from his injury, Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry left to become head coach at Virginia Tech. That, too, factored into the timing of his decision; Robinson needed to get acquainted with Pry's successor, Manny Diaz. After getting to know Diaz better, Robinson chose the Nittany Lions in July. Miami and Virginia Tech were the main two schools that Penn State beat out. Due to his injury, Robinson decided to sit out his senior season. Listed by On3 as the No. 267 overall prospect na- tionally and No. 26 linebacker, he will enroll at Penn State in January. TONY ROJAS LB | 6-2 | 195 There weren't too many verbal com- mitments that received the kind of fan- fare that Rojas got when he announced for the Nittany Lions. Just like classmate Jameial Lyons, Rojas attended Penn State's Beast of the East camp on July 30, 2021, and instantly became a coveted prospect for the staff, running a 4.4-second 40- yard dash and a 4.2-second shuttle. Rojas said the Nittany Lions were the team to beat from that point on, but their supremacy was challenged last spring when Clemson and Georgia both extended offers. Those two schools joined Penn State and Miami in his top four, but it ultimately came down to the Lions and Bulldogs. After he took an unofficial visit to Athens, Ga., on June 13, specula- tion arose that the defending national champs could end up outdueling PSU for Rojas' commitment. Penn State was able to put that uncertainty to rest in the weeks that followed, though. Rojas took an official visit June 17-19 and committed on July 14. A four-star prospect, Rojas had a monster senior season as a two-way player at Fairfax (Va.) High. On offense, he totaled 2,239 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. On defense, he surpassed 50 tackles, with 18 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. The Adidas All-American is set to enroll at Penn State in January. JOEY SCHLAFFER TE | 6-5 | 215 The half-brother of former Penn State offensive lineman Michal Menet, Schlaffer knew as soon as he received his offer that he would end up sign- ing with the Nittany Lions. There was, however, a point at which the Reading, Pa., native wondered if that offer was forthcoming. By June 2021, Schlaffer had earned a number of quality offers. Arizona State, Maryland, Michigan State, Pitt, 5 6 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M