Tight end room dangerously thin

Penn State went into spring with a position group that usually acts like a spare tire, and by mid-April it was down to one tight end with real game mileage: Benjamin Brahmer. Andrew Rappleyea is out for spring practice, and Gabe Burkle is also sidelined, according to reporting from The Daily Collegian. (psucollegian.com) That is a bigger deal at Penn State than it would be at a lot of schools, because the program has leaned on tight ends for years as both blockers and red-zone targets. The 2026 roster lists six scholarship tight ends, but spring availability matters more than spring headcount. (gopsusports.com) (psucollegian.com) Rappleyea was the one proven returner in the room after catching 20 passes for 180 yards and three touchdowns in 2025. He is expected back for summer workouts after what 247Sports described as a short-term injury, but he is not available for these spring reps. (gopsusports.com) (247sports.com) Burkle’s absence cuts a different way, because Penn State brought him in from Iowa State to add an older body at 6-foot-6 and 255 pounds. 247Sports reported that he is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in November and expects to be full go by fall camp. (gopsusports.com) (247sports.com) So Brahmer has become the only healthy tight end in spring with significant college production on his résumé. The senior transfer from Iowa State is listed at 6-foot-7 and 252 pounds, which makes him the veteran anchor in a room otherwise pushed toward developmental players. (gopsusports.com) (psucollegian.com) That has opened the door for Cooper Alexander, Finn Furmanek, and Brian Kortovich, because spring practice is less about depth charts than about who can take 20 live reps without slowing the drill down. The Daily Collegian reported that those backups have seen increased opportunities while Rappleyea and Burkle recover. (psucollegian.com) There is also a coaching wrinkle here: offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser is Penn State’s tight ends coach too. When one assistant is installing a new offense and patching together one of the thinnest rooms on the roster at the same time, every missed spring rep costs twice. (psucollegian.com) (247sports.com) It also helps explain why Penn State’s April 25 event is an open practice instead of a traditional Blue-White spring game. The school announced the new format for Beaver Stadium, and local coverage tied the change to a roster that has too many players missing or limited this spring. (gopsusports.com) (sports.yahoo.com) If you are watching that April 25 practice, the tight ends may tell you more than the quarterbacks do. If Alexander, Furmanek, or Kortovich is running with confidence in a 1 p.m. open practice at Beaver Stadium, that is Penn State showing it found emergency depth before summer even starts. (gopsusports.com) (psucollegian.com) If they are still hiding the position and leaning on wide receivers and running backs instead, that is the other answer. Spring does not decide Penn State’s season, but at tight end it is already deciding who gets trusted when August arrives. (psucollegian.com 1) (psucollegian.com 2)