Milton (MA) Milton Academy tight end Andrew Rappleyea committed to Michigan on Sunday. He picked the Wolverines over offers from Boston College, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin, among others.
Rappleyea is 6’4″ and 215 lbs. As a junior in 2021, he caught 21 passes for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns. He claims a 4.62 forty and a 39″ vertical.
RANKINGS
ESPN: Unranked
On3: 4-star, 91 grade, #10 TE, #169 overall
Rivals: 4-star, 5.8 grade, #12 TE, #240 overall
247 Sports: 3-star, 88 grade, #25 TE
Hit the jump for more.
Rappleyea was offered by Michigan after visiting in December. He returned to campus this weekend for an unofficial visit, seemingly with the intention of committing to the Wolverines.
Rappleyea is a little on the short side for a tight end, leading me to believe that he’s headed for the H position more than an in-line Y. He has good ball skills and can go up and contort his body to reel in catches. He also does a good job of catching the ball with his hands rather than being a body catcher. He also shows good signs of having the feet, leg drive, and base to work up to the second level and be an effective blocker on linebackers. His speed is adequate, though he does not play against particularly good competition.
The aforementioned size might be a limiting factor, as well as the level of competition. He will probably be too small to play the Y position effectively. He’s also not a field stretcher, though I think he can fill a similar role to what Erick All did in the passing game in 2021.
Overall, I think Rappleyea is a solid prospect. My personal belief about tight ends is that it’s mostly about how they’re used and not necessarily who they are. Michigan does a good job of using and developing tight ends. If Jim Harbaugh recruits you to play tight end, you’re going to play at some point and probably be pretty effective. On the occasional opportunity to make wide receiver-like catches – which only seem to come a couple times per year – it’s nice to have a guy who can jump and make some acrobatic or contested catches.
Michigan now has four commitments in the 2023 class, joining WR Semaj Morgan, LB Raylen Wilson, and K Adam Samaha. (Defensive tackle Joel Starlings decommitted yesterday.) The last player Michigan signed from Milton Academy was linebacker Kalel Mullings in the class of 2020.
TTB Rating: It’s too early for 2023 rankings.
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