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Reading Eagle, Pa.
Former Exeter star Joey Schlaffer finds opportunity, authenticity at Temple
- Story byReading Eagle, Pa.
- Former Exeter star Joey Schlaffer finds opportunity, authenticity at Temple
Forty-nine players on Penn State 's 2025 football roster wound up transferring after the firing of James Franklin as coach last October.
The first one to leave the team was former Exeter standout Joey Schlaffer , who is now at Temple .
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It wasn't an easy decision for Schlaffer, who dreamed about playing at Penn State but who saw action in only seven games in three seasons there.
"I just wanted to go somewhere where I'd have a good opportunity to be a contributor," he said this week. "At the end of the day I want to play football. I didn't do it for any other reason than that. That's what it really came down to.
"It's tough leaving a lot of friendships and familiarity. It's uncomfortable."
The 6-5, 250-pound Schlaffer saw action as a reserve tight end last week in Temple's season-opening 38-14 victory over Rhode Island .
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He'll see some friends when the Owls (1-0) meet 16th-ranked Penn State (1-0) Saturday at noon (TV-ESPN2) at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Lions have almost an entirely new coaching staff, led by Matt Campbell, and 60 new players on the roster since Schlaffer left. Which explains why the game doesn't have special significance for him.
"There'll be a couple familiar faces that I'll be happy to see," he said. "Between the lines, it's still a game. We're still competing. I wouldn't say there's anything more than that. It's a completely different team."
Schlaffer led Exeter to a 12-1 record as a senior in 2022, catching 38 passes for 879 yards and nine touchdowns and rushing for 246 yards and three TDs. A four-year starter, he set Berks County career records for receiving yards (2,493) and receiving touchdowns (28).
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He committed to Penn State, following in the footsteps of his brother, Michal Menet , a three-year starter at center from 2018-20.
Schlaffer, though, faced an uphill climb to beat out other tight ends, including Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren , who are in the NFL.
The highlight of his time at Penn State came last year when he caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Ethan Grunkemeyer in a blowout win over Villanova. Less than two months later, he left the team.
He put his name in the transfer portal and picked Temple over Tulane.
"I chose Temple because I had a lot of confidence in the staff," Schlaffer said. "Our tight ends coach, Chris Zarkoskie, worked at New Hampshire , where my coach at Exeter, Matt Bauer, played. Visiting there and seeing the schemes and how they ran things was a big sell for me as well.
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"Obviously it's very close to home. I get a chance to live in Philadelphia and play football. It sounded like a really good deal to me. It aligned with what I was looking for. It was a very easy decision once I visited."
Schlaffer, who expects to graduate in May, has one year of eligibility left after this season. He's one of four former Penn State players on the Owls roster, along with quarterback Jaxon Smolik, safety Kolin Dinkins and defensive end Kaleb Artis.
Smolik started last week and completed 4-of-6 passes for 57 yards and a touchdown. Dinkins also started and had three tackles and a pass breakup. Artis saw action as a reserve.
Schlaffer said he likes playing for Temple coach K.C. Keeler, the Emmaus High grad who has been successful at Rowan, Delaware and Sam Houston State.
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"I really do appreciate the way he takes care of his players," Schlaffer said. "He does a really good job in practice of pushing us to where the line is, but not pushing us past the line. He treats us like adults. We've come to respect the way he runs his program.
"He picked really great people to work here with him. They're really passionate people who want to get the best out of the student-athletes. It was relieving that after nine months here it's still as genuine as advertised."
