A player who was once the rawest on the Temple football roster is now one of the most experienced.
Tight end Steve Maneri is among three seniors atop the offensive depth chart for the Owls, joining receiver Jason Harper and running back Lamar McPherson.
Maneri has played in 34 career games with 12 starts, both the highest at the same position on offense. While Harper has more games (36) and starts (18), his have been split between running back and wide receiver.
It’s quite a change from 2006, when Maneri arrived at Temple with just one season of high school football and found himself playing in 10 games as a true freshman.
“I expected a redshirt,” Maneri recalled before a recent practice. “I was getting beat pretty good my freshman year, but our starting tight end went down and they put me in there. A pass-catching specialist is what our coordinator (George DeLeone) called me, because I wasn’t blocking.”
Blocking has become a strength for the 6-6 senior from Saddle Brook, N.J., especially since an offseason of lifting has his weight up to 280 pounds.
“Our tight ends have a commitment to blocking now,” Coach Al Golden said. “Steve is a 280-pound tight end and you can go around Division I and not find many guys that size. He’s got a tremendous work ethic, he’s a very bright kid. He’s a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award winner, has a 3.2-plus GPA. He’s kind of a workman-type guy.”
Added Maneri: “I’m trying to get more physical and trying to take my pass game to another level. In the spring, I felt a lot better in the blocking game. I put on a lot of weight in the offseason, gained about 20 pounds and that helped me move people around a lot better.”
Maneri, who caught 14 passes for 150 yards and four touchdowns as a junior, showed so many gains he was chosen as the most improved offensive player at the conclusion of spring drills.
“Three-hour practices are a tough deal,” Maneri said. “I appreciate they recognized my effort.”
When the Owls first recognized Maneri in his senior year at Saddle Brook, he was admittedly raw. He had concentrated on basketball and baseball during his high school career and hadn’t played football since he was little.
“Basketball was my first love,” he said. “Senior year, I decided to go out for football and give it a try. I missed the sport. [The recruiting] happened really fast. By the second or third game there were whispers, then calls. When the coaches started calling, I realized that was my future.
“Honestly, I think coaches just saw potential. I look back at my high school film and I wasn’t really good. I was tall and could run a little bit.”
Because of his late start, Maneri admitted he didn’t feel completely comfortable in his position until midway through his junior year at Temple. Now, going into his final season, he has the knowledge and skills necessary to be an impact player in the Owls offense.
“I feel like over the past three years I’ve improved every year in knowledge of the game and blocking,” Maneri stated. “You learn something new every day in football, it’s such a complex game. Somewhere in my junior year, I felt like I knew what I was doing. Flexibility was a big thing for me.
“If I had a redshirt year, I’d probably be more advanced with my football skills and my toolbox. But I take things as they are, and I don’t complain.”
Now that Maneri has moved into a leadership role because of his experience, Golden would like to see his starting tight end become more vocal.
“I’m trying to get him out of his shell and lead the offense,” Golden said. “He’s capable of doing that, and he’s responding.”
Said Maneri: “Leadership is a skill. You have to constantly motivate teammates. When you’re tired and feeling down, you have to keep pushing. It’s a 24-hour-a-day job and it’s not easy.”
Maneri put his leadership skills to the test when he helped direct his team to victory in the Temple football version of The Amazing Race two weeks ago. Nine teams of nine went on a Philadelphia scavenger hunt.
“It was pretty wild,” Maneri said. “We were running up and down Center City. We went in relaxed, thinking it would be something pretty chill, but we ran at least a few miles by the end.
“We eased into it, and once you got into it, you were running back and forth, it was kind of fun ... We still haven’t gotten anything for that, though. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re getting for that.”
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