Millbrook native Andrew Rappleyea verbally commits to play football at Michigan

It was almost as if the universe — rather, the football world — took on the role of a parent playing coy in December about a gift their child is longing for.

As the Division I college football offers poured in for Andrew Rappleyea last year validating the Millbrook native as a coveted prospect, his fingers remained crossed that one would be received from a dream school.

“Michigan had made an offer to a player from my school pretty early in his process, but I hadn’t gotten one from them,” said the 17-year-old, who visited the Wolverines in November when they hosted Ohio State. “I assumed they weren’t interested in me.”

Then, on Christmas Eve, Rappleyea got an unexpected text message from Jay Harbaugh. The University of Michigan tight ends coach, and the son of head coach Jim Harbaugh, asked if he had a few minutes to talk. He did, of course.

That moment was the unwrapping of a figurative box with the maize and blue bow.

“I'm very lucky and grateful for it all,” the former Our Lady of Lourdes High School star said. “Not a lot of kids get this. I worked for it, and I think I'm somewhat deserving, but I know I’m very fortunate. Everything had to go right for this to happen.”

A coveted prospect: Division I offers begin to pour in for Andrew Rappleyea

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“This” was the verbal commitment he made on Sunday to play football for Michigan, the tight end joining a short list of Dutchess County athletes who’ve made it to Power Five conference schools. That list does include his older brother, Allan, a former offensive lineman at Wake Forest.

Andrew has turned heads since last spring, his combination of size and athleticism drawing the attention of college scouts at football camps. The four-star recruit received a torrent of major Division I offers including Ole Miss, Penn State, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Ohio State.

“The combination of academics and football makes it a great match,” he said of Michigan. “Getting that offer meant a lot to me. I had time at home during the Christmas break to think about it and discuss it with my parents. I took another visit back there and fell in love with the school.”

The Wolverines reaching the college football semifinals didn’t hurt, either. That, he said, didn’t factor into his decision, but it was a little icing on the cake.

Andrew starred as a sophomore and junior at Lourdes, creating mismatches as an intermediate and downfield receiver capable of making acrobatic catches in traffic. He transferred last fall to Milton Academy, a Massachusetts prep school that his brother attended, and reclassified as an 11th-grader to give himself an additional year there before college.

He now is a shade under 6-foot-5 and said he played the football season at 224 pounds. A goal, he said last year, was to bulk up to about 235 pounds before entering college.

Kyiev Bennermon, a 2018 Spackenkill High School graduate, was the last prominent Dutchess County athlete to join a big Division I football program when he played for Boston College. Allan Rappleyea signed to Wake Forest in 2017 and Bobby Henderson, a John Jay-East Fishkill grad, played fullback for Michigan five years ago.

Area athletes in other sports also have redirected some of the national spotlight.

Owen Paino, a Roy C. Ketcham High School sophomore, is verbally committed to play baseball at Ole Miss. Sophomore basketball stars Natalie Fox (Millbrook) and Simone Pelish (Lourdes) both have received a bevy of Division I college offers. Poughkeepsie native Maddy Siegrist has excelled for the Villanova women’s basketball team.

“A few people before me started it, and I want to continue the movement,” Andrew Rappleyea said. “I’m hoping to draw more attention to the ‘845’ because I don’t think the area gets the attention and respect, athletically, that it should. There are a lot of good athletes there, with great potential, who haven’t gotten the opportunities I was fortunate to get.”

Andrew praised his former Lourdes coaches Brian Walsh and Jim Santoro for helping mold him into “the person and athlete I am now,” and credited his trainer, Chris Easter, for his improved footwork.

“Academically, it's very demanding,” he said of Milton Academy. “It's a whole different level, even from Lourdes. From a football standpoint, it’s been awesome. We had a great year and I made a lot of friends with kids from all over.”

Andrew said he improved as a blocker in the Mustangs’ run-heavy offense, which helped the team go 9-1 last season. He also is playing for the boys basketball team this winter.

A commitment to Michigan, though, is something he couldn't have envisioned two years ago. He believed Allan Rappleyea had hit the athletic jackpot and the chances of him also making it big were unlikely.

“Realistically, I know it doesn't happen for a lot of people,” he said, “so I didn't think it would happen for me. That’s why I’m so thankful.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com, 845-437-4826, Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Millbrook's Rappleyea chooses Michigan from bevy of football offers