Starting Lineup: Zack Zandier never thought he was blocked from the field
To recognize the top players in Berks football MikeDragoSports.com has selected the “Starting Lineup,” a preseason All-Berks team that includes the top linemen, backs, receivers, linebackers and specialists.
Players were selected based on past performance, expected performance this season and college potential. Two-way players were given special consideration.
One player will be introduced each day, in random order (the players are not ranked). Former NFL lineman and recruiting expert Ross Tucker offers comments on some of the selections.
Zack Zandier, Exeter
| 6-5 | 230 | Senior | TE/DE |
BACKSTORY: The prospects weren’t promising for Zack Zandier heading into his junior season. He was a tight end on an Exeter team that featured Joey Schlaffer, a Penn State tight end recruit on the way to becoming the Eagles’ all-time leading receiver.
Playing time looked limited but Zandier didn’t get caught up that. He put his head down and went to work, confident he would find his way to the action.
“My mentality is: ‘I’m the best player on the field, I don’t care who’s on the field,’ ” he said. “I just kept grinding and getting better. I used all those other (top) players (on Exeter’s roster) and tried to compare myself to them and get as good as them.
“I always felt I was right there with (Joey),” he said. “I felt I could do the same things as him. I always kept working and trying to get better.”
He did, so much so that Eagles coach Matt Bauer was able expand his offense, moving Schlaffer to wide receiver and sometimes quarterback, a wrinkle that made Exeter all the tougher to stop.
“Zack became such a staple for us,” Bauer said. “He became so steady. We knew we could run behind him.”
The 6-5, 230-pound Zandier was in the starting lineup for the Eagles’ opener and caught a 47-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the first half in a 35-0 win over Daniel Boone
“It felt amazing, because I had been putting in the work,” he said. “I love the game, and I was finally getting the opportunity to get on the field on Friday night and make plays.”
Zandier’s combination of size, speed and hands made him a desirable target and he was often left open, with defenses concentrating more on Schlaffer or trying to slow down Exeter’s potent running game.
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.
Zandier ended up with 22 receptions, second to Schlaffer, and averaged 16.7 yards per catch. He was an All-Berks and all-league first team pick at tight end.
More important than his work in the passing game was his blocking for the run game. Zandier admits blocking isn’t his favorite part of the game but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t go full bore at it.
“It’s gotta get done,” he realizes.
Zandier’s blocking ability is what led dozens of college coaches to make their way to Reiffton last winter and spring, scholarship offers in hand.
“All of these coaches come in and see how physical he is,” said Bauer. “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.”
College coaches noticed that he tacked more muscle onto his lean frame. He went through a rigorous offseason strength program and added close to 30 pounds.
“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.”
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. Strauss, 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.
“My goal always has been to make it to the NFL,” Zandier said, “so it’s definitely possible (to get there from Coastal Carolina). I’ve just gotta keep working and grinding.”
ROLE: Starting tight end and defensive end. Figures to be No. 1 passing target for the Eagles.
COLLEGE PROSPECTS: Committed earlier this summer to 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. Received offers from more than two dozen Division I programs, including Bucknell, Colgate, Columbia, Delaware, New Hampshire, Penn, Richmond, Rhode Island, Temple, and Yale.
TUCKER’S TAKE: “When’s the last time a Berks County school, or any school for that matter, had Division I tight ends in back to back years? Like Joey Schlaffer a year ago, Zandier is a very fluid route runner who catches the ball well and shows some real athleticism after the catch. Solid blocker who will likely dominate in that aspect of the game this year after adding strength and size this offseason.”
Starting Lineup
| Zack Zandier | Exeter | TE/DE |
