Exeter tight end Zack Zandier has served notice of big things to come

You may not have noticed what Zack Zandier was doing on the football field for Exeter last season.

Understandable.

The Eagles had lots of attention-grabbing athletes, such as 6-5 Joey Schlaffer, the Penn State tight end recruit.

And 6-6 Delaware recruit Anthony Caccese, a two-way all-league pick. And Richie Karstien, Berks’ leading rusher. Lucas Palange was the Offensive Lineman of the Year in Section 2 of the Lancaster-Lebanon League. Kyle Lash was the Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Zandier was flying under the radar, though he certainly didn’t see it that way. Even while playing alongside one of the best tight end recruits in the nation he didn’t feel overshadowed.

“My mentality is: I’m the best player on the field, I don’t care who’s on the field,” said the rising senior and one of the building blocks on a re-loaded Exeter team. “I just kept grinding and getting better and it worked out. I used all those other players and tried to compare myself to them and get as good as them.”

Zandier’s work – 24 receptions, four touchdowns, and exceptional blocking in the running game – did not go unnoticed.

He was an All-Berks and all-league first team pick at tight end.

College coaches noticed, too, especially when he started tack more muscle onto his lean 6-5 frame. He went through a rigorous offseason program at Garage Strength, added close to 30 pounds and saw the college offers start to pour in – 25 in all.

In June he accepted a scholarship to play at Coastal Carolina, an FBS program in Conway, S.C. which competes in the 14-team Sun Belt Conference against Marshall, James Madison, George Southern, Appalachian State and others.

“He loves to block, and he’s tremendously coachable,” said Exeter coach Matt Bauer. “That’s what all of these (college) coaches (who) come in and see: How physical he is.

“The way the game has evolved, a lot of tight ends at that (Division I) level are big wideouts. Zack’s a little bit of a throwback, which is very enticing to those coaches. He’s a typical in-line tight end; he can get off the ball. That was a huge selling factor.”

Actually, coach, Zack doesn’t like blocking all that much.

He would much rather run down the field on every play but he knows that’s not what’s best for his team.

“(Blocking), it’s definitely not my favorite part of the game,” he said, “but it’s gotta get done.”

Zandier was just happy to be on the field and helping the Eagles win. With Schlaffer around it looked like his minutes at tight end would be limited but Bauer had other ideas. He wanted to take full advantage of Schlaffer’s athleticism and move him around, to wide receiver, split end, tight end or even quarterback.

To make that plan come to fruition he needed someone who could handle every-down tight end duties. Zandier was the guy, and his play was one of the keys to Exeter’s unbeaten regular season.

“Zack became such a staple for us,” Bauer said. “He became so steady. We knew we could run behind him.”

“My mentality was to keep getting better,” Zandier said. “They moved guys around on offense in order for me to get playing time and make plays on the field.”

By spring drills in 2022 he saw a door open for him; when the season kicked off in August he was in the starting lineup and wasted no time showing he belonged. He pulled in a 47-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first half in a 35-0 season-opening win over Daniel Boone.

“It felt amazing, because I had been putting in the work,” Zandier said. “I love the game, and I was finally getting the opportunity to get on the field on Friday night and make plays.”

With opposing pass defenses geared to take away Schlaffer, Zandier became a top target. He quickly gained the trust of quarterback Mason Rotelli and put his athleticism to work in the passing game. He proved to be a match-up problem against smaller defensive backs.

“If you throw it up, I’m gonna go up and get it,” he says confidently.

Bauer wasn’t sure at first what he had in Zandier. Their initial meetings, during the winter and spring of 2020, were conducted on Zoom because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic that shut down spring sports.

When Bauer got his first full look at Zandier, during preseason practice, he did a double-take.

“Right away, you could see (his physical potential),” Bauer said.

Zandier is another in a long line of talented tight ends to come through the program over the last 15 years. The list includes Christian Menet, who went to Eastern Michigan; Michal Menet, who was used primarily at center at Penn State; J.R. Straus, who’s now at Villanova; and Ty Yocum, who’s now at Merrimack College. Former Exeter quarterback Kyle Yocum became a tight end at Delaware.

Zandier said he took advantage of his time with Schlaffer, picking his brain about the finer points of playing tight end: Running routes, creating space in the passing game.

“I always felt I was right there with him,” he said. “I felt I could do the same things as him. I always kept working and trying to get better.”

Zandier will be a big part of what Exeter does this season – you won’t have trouble noticing him, that’s for sure. In addition to playing tight end he’ll likely end up as a defensive end. He’ll make his presence known on special teams, too; he even kicked PATs last season.

Bauer is excited about the possibilities.

“Getting him to Garage Strength really, really paid off,” Bauer said. “It unlocked him in a lot of ways. There’s not an ounce of bad weight on him. And he’s gotten faster. He hasn’t even come close to scratching the ceiling in any way.”