Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins’ status uncertain for Bowling Green game

Penn State tight end Khalil Dinkins returned to practice this week, but his status for Saturday’s home opener against Bowling Green was uncertain.

Dinkins, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds, missed most of preseason camp and the season opener, a 34-12 win at West Virginia, with an undisclosed injury. He was expected to be the No. 2 tight end behind Tyler Warren after catching five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns last season.

“He’s missed a lot of time, mentally and physically, so we’ve got to get him going,” 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 ready physically or mentally, then we think we have guys that can fill that role, like Luke (Reynolds), Joey (Schlaffer) and others.”

After being sidelined last year, Schlaffer saw the first game of his career at West Virginia. The former Exeter standout was on the field for an 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 he’s noticed a change in Schlaffer, who is 6’1″ and now weighs 260 pounds.

“Joey is starting to develop some grit and a desire to put somebody on the field,” Rappleyea said. “I think Joey realizes that he’s really going to have to start becoming more of a physical presence in the run game if he’s going to be where he wants to be.”

“I think that awareness really helps his game.”

Rappleyea, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 250 pounds, was on the field for 26 of Penn State’s 60 offensive snaps against West Virginia, but didn’t throw a pass.

“Rap played really well,” Franklin said. “We have a lot 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 a big deal for us.”

Singleton honored: Penn State running back Nick Singleton was one of four players from across the country named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll this week.

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 Arizona’s Quali Conley, Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Pitt’s Desmond Reid. Hunter was named Hornung Award Player of the Week.

The Hornung Award is given 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 traded wide receiver Matthew Outten of IC Norcom in Portsmouth, Virginia, who originally committed to Virginia Tech. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Outten is considered a four-star prospect by 247Sports and ESPN and a three-star prospect by On3.

“If we have to go against another school and the kid asks us to continue to recruit him, we’ll continue to recruit him,” Franklin said. “We only have so many resources. We have to make sure the time we put in is time well spent.”

On Tuesday, they received a commitment from four-star offensive tackle Malachi Goodman of Paramus Catholic (N.J.). The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Goodman chose Penn State over USC and Auburn.

Penn State now has 25 commitments in its class, ranked 13th by 247Sports and 16th by On3.