Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
A U G U S T 2 0 2 3 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T I G H T E N D S / / / / / / / PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Ty Howle: Howle enters his third season as tight ends coach and fourth on the staff after coming back to his alma mater as an off-field analyst in 2020. The former PSU letterman, who played on the offensive line in college, now carries a co-offensive coordinator title in addition to his positional responsibilities. Howle appeared in 47 games as a player, rotating between guard and center, and made 13 career starts. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at NC State in his native North Carolina and later spent four seasons at Western Illinois, where he rose to the position of associate head coach and co-offensive coordinator under former Penn State quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS KHALIL DINKINS R-So. | 6-4 | 246 • Played in eight games during the 2022 sea- son, finishing with 4 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. • Did not see action during his first season at Penn State but was twice named the scout team's offensive player of the week. • Was a four-year letterman at North Al- legheny (Pa.) High and a team captain as a senior. THEO JOHNSON Jr. | 6-6 | 264 • Started nine of the 11 games in which he appeared during the 2022 season, hauling in 20 passes for 328 yards and 4 touch- downs. • Appeared in all 13 games and made six starts for the Nittany Lions during the 2021 season, finishing with 19 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown. • Played in seven games and made one start as a true freshman in 2020, totaling 56 yards on 4 receptions. TYLER WARREN Jr. | 6-6 | 259 • Appeared in 12 games and started three last season, catching 10 passes for 123 yards and 3 touchdowns. • Appeared in all 13 games in 2021, totaling 5 catches for 61 yards and a touchdown while adding 2 rushing scores. • Played in two games as a true freshman. JERRY CROSS R-Fr. | 6-5 | 257 • Spent much of his first season on campus dealing with an injury and saw no game action while preserving his freshman eli- gibility. • Received a four-star grade in the On3 In- dustry Ranking in 2022 and was the No. 12 tight end nationally and No. 5 prospect in Wisconsin. • Enrolled at Penn State in January 2022 and participated in spring practice. NEWCOMERS ANDREW RAPPLEYEA Fr. | 6-4 | 253 • Was a four-star recruit and the No. 3 tight end in the class of 2023 according to the On3 Industry Ranking. • Earned team MVP honors at Milton (Mass.) Academy in 2022. • Caught 23 passes for 499 yards and 6 touchdowns as a senior. JOEY SCHLAFFER Fr. | 6-5 | 230 • Was a four-star recruit and No. 9 tight end nationally per On3. • Enrolled at Penn State in January but did not record any counting stats in the Blue- White Game. • Was a three-time Class 5A all-state selec- tion at Reading (Pa.) High. • Caught 38 passes for 879 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior in 2022. Quick Facts Position coach: Ty Howle (3rd season) Returning starters: Theo Johnson (16 career starts), Tyler Warren (6) Departing starter: Brenton Strange (31) Projected new starters: None Top reserves: Khalil Dinkins, Jerry Cross Newcomers: Andrew Rappleyea, Joey Schlaffer Moved in: None Moved out: None Scholarship Players (6) No. Name Cl. Ht. Wt. 84 Theo Johnson Jr. 6-6 264 44 Tyler Warren Jr. 6-6 259 16 Khalil Dinkins R-So. 6-4 246 88 Jerry Cross R-Fr. 6-5 257 87 Andrew Rappleyea Fr. 6-4 253 18 Joey Schlaffer Fr. 6-5 230 Ty ler Warren is likely to see his role expand this fall after catching 10 passes for 123 yards in 2022. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL