Owls football gains 3 more commitments

By Kevin Tatum INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Posted: January 19, 2006

Temple football coach Al Golden has received three more oral commitments as he puts together his all-important first recruiting class.

The national signing day is Feb. 1, and there are now 15 players who that day are expected to make official their decisions to join the Owls. When Golden took the job, he said he had 23 scholarships available.

The latest players to cast their lots with Temple are third-team all-state linebacker Andre Neblett of Rahway High (N.J.), tight end Steve Maneri of Saddle Brook High (N.J.), and offensive lineman John Palumbo of Queen of Peace in North Arlington, N.J.

The 6-1, 265-pound Neblett also had Illinois and Massachusetts among his college choices.

Maneri, 6-6, 225 pounds, played one year of high school football because of his desire to focus on basketball. He continues to play that sport for Saddle Brook, but he attracted some attention on the football field by catching 36 passes for 607 yards and five touchdowns last fall.

Maneri picked Temple over East Carolina.

Palumbo, who is 6-5, 265 pounds, chose Temple over Rutgers, Kent State and Connecticut. He also plays basketball for Queen of Peace.

With Palumbo leading the way, Queen of Peace relied on a running game that collected over 3,000 yards on the ground last season.

This weekend, Temple will have seven players on campus for official visits.

Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum at 215-854-2583 or ktatum@phillynews.com.