Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins returned to practice this week, but his status for Saturday’s home opener against Bowling Green was uncertain.
The 6-4, 252-pound Dinkins missed most of preseason camp and the season-opening 34-12 win at West Virginia with an undisclosed injury. He was expected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Tyler Warren after he caught five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns last season.
“He’s missed a ton of time both mentally and physically, so we gotta knock the rust off him,” Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said after practice Wednesday night. “If he’s ready, then he can be a weapon for us. But if he’s not physically ready or mentally ready, then we feel like we have some guys that we think can fill that role, like Luke (Reynolds), Joey (Schlaffer) and others.”
After being redshirted last year, Schlaffer saw the first game action of his career at West Virginia. The former Exeter standout was on the field for one offensive snap and was the intended receiver on a 2-point conversion pass from Beau Pribula that fell incomplete in the second quarter.
Andrew Rappleyea, one of Schlaffer’s classmates, was Penn State’s No. 2 tight end against the Mountaineers. He said that he’s noticed a change in the 6-5 Schlaffer, who’s now listed at 240 pounds.
“Joey is starting to develop a sense of grittiness and a want to put somebody in the ground,” Rappleyea said. “I think that Joey realizes he’s gonna really have to start physically becoming more of a presence in the run game if he wants to be where he wants to be.
“I think that realization is definitely helping his game.”
The 6-4, 250-pound Rappleyea was on the field for 26 of Penn State’s 60 offensive snaps at West Virginia, but no pass was thrown his way.
“Rap played very well,” Franklin said. “We have a ton of confidence in him. He’s committed. He’s athletic. He’s a great route runner. He wants to be a physical tight end, which is something that’s very important to us.”
Singleton recognized: Penn State running back Nick Singleton was one of four players across the country named this week to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll.
Singleton, the former Gov. Mifflin star, gained 183 all-purpose yards against West Virginia, 114 rushing, 13 receiving and 56 on kickoff returns.
The other three players selected were Quali Conley of Arizona, Travis Hunter of Colorado and Desmond Reid of Pitt. Hunter was named the Hornung Award Player of the Week.
The Hornung Award is presented annually to the most versatile player in college football.
Recruiting update: Penn State added two more high school seniors to its 2025 recruiting class this week.
On Monday, the Lions flipped wide receiver Matthew Outten of I.C. Norcom of Portsmouth, Va., who had originally committed to Virginia Tech. The 6-0, 210-pound Outten is rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN and a three-star prospect by On3.
“If it comes down to us and another school and the kid tells us to keep recruiting him, then we’ll keep recruiting him,” Franklin said. “We have only so many resources. You want to make sure that the time you’re spending is time well-spent.”
Then on Tuesday, they received a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Malachi Goodman of Paramus Catholic (N.J.). The 6-5, 315-pound Goodman chose Penn State over USC and Auburn.
Penn State now has 25 commitments in its class, which is ranked 13th by 247Sports and 16th by On3.
Originally Published: