Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531683
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 5 3 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M RETURNING STARTER Khalil Dinkins | R-Sr. Although he was generally regarded as Tyler Warren's backup last year, Dinkins did start six games when the Nittany Lions opened with two tight ends. He earned 482 snaps, totaling 14 receptions for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dinkins will be the room's elder statesman this coming season. He's waited his turn to be the leading man but will have to fend off others for the op- portunity. OTHER RETURNEES Andrew Rappleyea | R-So. Rappleyea hopes to be ready for spring practice after suffering a season-ending injury in September. He played in just one game, at West Virginia, and recorded no counting stats in 2024. Luke Reynolds | So. Reynolds burned his redshirt in September and became the Li- ons' No. 3 tight end after Rappleyea got hurt. He caught 9 passes for 111 yards and a score, and he acquitted himself well as a blocker for a first-year player. Reynolds will push for an expanded role in 2025. Joey Schlaffer | R-So. Schlaffer did not crack the tight end rotation in 2024. He played only 14 snaps on offense and finished with no counting stats. NEWCOMERS Matt Henderson | Fr. Henderson stands 6-foot-5, 208 pounds, and he caught 48 passes for 724 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior at Powhatan (Va.) High. A four-star prospect, he had more than 2,000 receiv- ing yards in high school and will enroll later this year. The On3 Industry Ranking lists him as the nation's No. 320 overall player, No. 18 tight end and the No. 7 player in Virginia in the 2024 class. Brian Kortovich | Fr. The 6-4, 230-pound Willoughby, Ohio, native had 500 yards receiving and 7 touchdowns as a senior at Villa Angela-St. Joseph. A three-star prospect, he's the nation's No. 714 overall player, No. 36 tight end and No. 26 Ohio prospect, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Andrew Olesh | Fr. Penn State flipped this Center Valley, Pa., native from Michigan in December. The four-star prospect caught 75 passes for 1,105 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior at Southern Lehigh. He's the nation's No. 55 player overall, No. 3 tight end and the top player in Pennsylvania, per the On3 Industry Ranking. Listed at 6-5, 210 pounds, Olesh enrolled in January and will push for early playing time. 2025 Outlook The top storyline in position coach Ty Howle's room is obvious: How will Penn State replace Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren? With a Big Ten-best 104 catches for 1,233 yards, Warren enjoyed the best season ever by a PSU tight end. No single player will be able to replicate his gaudy statistics, but someone must take over as the starter. Penn State fans shouldn't sleep on Dinkins; he's going to get every opportunity to show what he can do this fall. Is the 6-4, 252-pounder ready to be the leading man? That's going to be one of the team's big- ger questions in spring practice. Reynolds figures to provide some tough competition for the first- team job after flashing his potential as a true freshman. Rappleyea will also bear watching, assuming he's back at full strength after miss- ing most of the 2024 season with an injury. In addition, Olesh could be primed to contribute early in his career. Penn State continues to recruit this position at a higher level than just about any other program across the country, which means losing a player like Warren won't sting as much as it would at some other places. He won't be easily replaced after becoming the first Nittany Lion player ever to surpass 100 catches in a season, but Penn State has the talent to ensure that this position group remains a strength. — Greg Pickel Nittany Lions Have Some Big Shoes To Fill Expected to vie for the full-time starting job this fall, Khalil Dinkins scored 5 touch- downs during the past three seasons. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS 2025 LOOK AHEAD TIGHT END