Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 5 3 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 fifth season as tight ends coach and sixth on the staff after returning to his alma mater as an off-field analyst in 2020. The former PSU letterman, who played on the offensive line in college, received a co-offensive coordinator title ahead of the 2023 season in addition to his positional responsibilities. Penn State's tight ends have thrived under Howle's leadership, with Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren all using their PSU experience as a springboard to the NFL. Warren enjoyed a historic season in 2024, finishing with 104 catches for 1,233 yards, both Big Ten records for a tight end, and scoring 8 receiving touchdowns. After- ward, he became the first Penn Stater to win the Mackey Award, which goes to col- lege football's top tight end. Howle appeared in 47 games as a player, rotating between guard and center, and made 13 career starts. He began his coach- ing 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-Sr. | 6-4 | 251 • Played in 15 games with six starts and tied for seventh on the team with 14 catches for 122 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2024. • Caught 5 passes for 57 yards and 2 touchdowns in 12 games during his red- shirt sophomore season. • Played in eight games during the 2022 season, 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. ANDREW RAPPLEYEA R-So. | 6-4 | 251 • Played only 37 snaps as a redshirt fresh- man — all in Penn State's season opener against West Virginia — due to an injury. • Saw action in three games during his first year at Penn State, retaining his freshman eligibility. • Was a four-star recruit in the On3 Indus- try Ranking and the No. 2 tight end in the class of 2023 according to On3. • Earned team MVP honors at Milton (Mass.) Academy in 2022. • Caught 23 passes for 499 yards and 6 touchdowns as a senior. LUKE REYNOLDS So. | 6-4 | 250 • Saw action in all 16 games as a true freshman and finished with 9 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. • Gained 32 yards on a fake punt against Minnesota that helped Penn State run out the clock in a 26-25 victory. • Was a four-star recruit in the On3 Industry Ranking, as well as the No. 4 tight end and No. 62 overall prospect in the class of 2024. • Caught 48 passes for 754 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior at Cheshire (Conn.) Academy. JOEY SCHLAFFER R-So. | 6-5 | 252 • Played 14 snaps in three games during the 2024 season and did not have any receptions. • Did not see action during his true fresh- man campaign. • Was a four-star recruit in the On3 Indus- try Ranking and a January 2023 enrollee. • Was a three-time Class 5A all-state selec- tion at Exeter Township (Pa.) High. • Caught 38 passes for 879 yards and 9 touchdowns as a senior in 2022. NEWCOMERS MATT HENDERSON Fr. | 6-5 | 230 • Recorded 48 catches for 724 yards and 8 touchdowns as a senior at Powhatan (Va.) High. • Received a four-star grade from On3 and was the No. 242 overall player and No. 14 tight end nationally, and the No. 5 player in Virginia. BRIAN KORTOVICH Fr. | 6-4 | 243 • Finished his career at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High in Cleveland, with 1,432 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. • Received a four-star grade from On3 and was the No. 16 tight end and No. 247 overall prospect nationally, as well as the No. 11 player in Ohio. ANDREW OLESH Fr. | 6-5 | 226 • Set career records at Southern Lehigh (Pa.) High with 156 catches for 2,354 yards. • Totaled 75 catches for 1,105 yards and 10 TDs as a senior. • Listed by On3's scouts as a five-star pros- pect, as well as the No. 1 tight end and No. 29 overall prospect nationally, and the top player in Pennsylvania. 2024 vs. 2025: Stock Up Or Down? Considering that Tyler Warren won the Mackey Award following a season in which he set multiple Penn State and Big Ten records, it feels wildly optimistic to suggest that the Nittany Lions' stock at tight end is holding steady. It's probably going to be a long time before one of Warren's successors approaches his history-making senior season. And yet, the Lions appear to have one of the Big Ten's deeper tight end corps. Of the seven scholarship players in this year's group, six received four-star grades from On3. The lone outlier — true freshman Andrew Olesh — was a five-star prospect. X-Factor Will redshirt senior Khalil Dinkins be able to hold off sophomore Luke Reynolds for the starting job? It seems likely, especially with Reynolds banged-up this spring, but nothing is assured heading into preseason camp. Freshman Outlook The Nittany Lions' three tight end signees in the 2025 class — Olesh, Brian Kortovich and Matt Henderson — earned a combined 13 stars from On3. Even so, the Nittany Lions have plenty of returning talent at this position group, so while injuries can always change the calculus, it wouldn't be entirely surprising to see all three of the freshmen redshirt this season.