Penn State football: James Franklin gives ‘green light’ to standout freshman tight end

The Penn State football faithful learned some unfortunate news last week. That’s when the Nittany Lion media was informed by James Franklin that tight end Andrew Rappleyea was dealing with an injury. While injuries are on the disappointing side of football, they create opportunity. When speaking to the media on Monday Franklin provided an update on the plan for Luke Reynolds for the remainder of 2024.

Against West Virginia the Penn State football team was down a tight end. Khalil Dinkins missed the first game of the season due to an injury which provided an opportunity for Andrew Rappleyea and Luke Reynolds.

But ahead of the matchup against Bowling Green in week two, Rappleyea appeared on the availability report which came as a surprise. Last week James Franklin described Rappleyea’s situation as a ‘long term’ injury. As a result, Luke Reynolds has now been given a green light by Franklin meaning that he will not redshirt in 2o24.

“Luke has been transitioned to a green light at this stage, Franklin said. “These green, reds, and yellows can change as things go. I think we always look at things changing in terms of moving up from red to yellow to green, but they also can go in the other direction. Luke is doing really well. He’s one of these guys. He showed up on campus, and he was very driven and motivated to play.

“That is both mentally and physically. He was willing to do the things necessary to play—attack the weight room, attack the summer workouts, attack the playbook. He has the ability to make plays in the passing game. Where he is somewhat unusual in 2024 for a tight end is he will also stick his nose in there. For some of these guys that have never really done that at the high
school level, that’s a challenge. Especially when you are asking them to block Smith Vilbert, who is 280 pounds, or whatever he may be. He has shown a willingness, and aggressiveness with that as well. I’ve been a real big fan of Luke’s and his approach.

“You know, we’ve got a ton of guys that I think could play as true freshmen, but the guys that have played I think are showing that they’re willing to make the type of sacrifices and commitments to actually do it. Some guys are either not physically ready to play or emotionally ready to play or mentally ready to play. He’s a guy that’s shown through hard work and development that he is ready to play kind of in all three.”

Reynolds living up to his recruiting hype

Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun

Luke Reynolds is a player who impressed national scouts on the back half of his recruitment. However, due to his standout performances, his recruiting ranking continued to climb. By the time Reynolds signed his letter of intent with Penn State football, he was a five-star prospect and the No. 1 tight end in the 2023 recruiting class.

Reynolds is now suiting up for the Nittany Lions. While he has not recorded a catch he has appeared in both games this season. He now joins Cooper Cousins and Dejuan Lane as fellow true freshman who has received a green light from James Franklin.

Thank you for reading Basic Blues Nation, one of the fastest-growing outlets covering Penn State athletics. Part of the Full Ride network, we are an alumni-owned, community-operated, credentialed media outlet dedicated to providing you with updated and reliable insights for all your favorite Nittany Lion sports. Whether it’s Penn State football, basketball, wrestling, or anything in between, you can find it all on Basic Blues Nation!

Please follow us on our social channels, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for breaking news and notifications. For feedback, questions, or concerns, please email us at [email protected] or direct message us on social media.