When Jeff Mattonelli starred on the Steinert football team a few years back, he was a versatile running back that coach Dan Caruso didn’t mind slipping out of the backfield to catch some passes.
Little did Mattonelli realize that little sidebar to his workload would serve him well in college.
As a sophomore wide receiver this season, Mattonelli led The College of New Jersey with 23 receptions for 212 yards and one touchdown through the Lions first seven games. Last year, Mattonelli made 13 grabs for 235 yards and a TD.
Mattonelli said he tries to emulate the likes of speedy NFL receivers Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson.
“I’m a one hundred percent receiver now,” he said. “I don’t play inside at all. I played a little bit of slot in high school because of the offense, but now I’m primarily an outside receiver on the strong side. I’d like to get a little inside, but the way our offense is, I run a lot of clearing routes. But the opportunities are there.”
Mattonelli was actually recruited by former TCNJ coach Eric Hamilton, who made overtures at putting him at cornerback. Hamilton decided to step down the summer before Mattonelli came into camp and when he arrived, he was listed as cornerback on the roster.
He decided to have a talk with new head coach Wayne Dickens. Mattonelli offered to give wide receiver a try, as he only played a little bit at cornerback in high school.
“They were understanding about it,” he said. “I kind of expressed that I felt more comfortable in that position, and they understood. It’s kind of worked out. I had an opportunity to step right in and play. Eventually, I probably would have requested a switch. I’m more offensive-minded. I want to make plays.”
He has definitely made some plays, as Dickens has no regrets about making the switch, calling Mattonelli a key cog in the Lions’ offensive machine.
“After making a significant contribution last season as a freshman, he has continued to develop and improve his skills,” Dickens said. “In addition, he is a great teammate in the locker room. He has a very bright future ahead of him in the Lion football program.”
And it’s been no accident. Mattonelli knew that he had to make some changes in his workout regimen in moving to receiver. He needed to get stronger in the weight room due to more one-on-one blocking assignments on defensive backs, and he had to get better at running patterns.
“Even though they’re not bigger than linebackers I had to block in high school, I’m still isolated on the outside,” he said. “As far as routes, I definitely had to work on my footwork, speed agility, that kind of stuff. I had to get in and out of breaks. All that stuff.”
As a whole, though, the transition was tough, but not too tough.
“It was definitely a bit of a transition, but I’ve been playing football since I was 5-years old,” he said. “So just having general knowledge of the game, it wasn’t too hard of a transition to make.”
Mattonelli spent countless hours running routes and perfecting them in the off-season, until it became second nature. He hit the weight room hard and worked on agility skills while also trying to maintain his speed.
“It’s definitely like a continuous process,” he said. “You have to maintain. It’s not something you can just do every now and then. Football is not like that. You’re not going to go out and run routes letter perfect right away. It’s an everyday process and it never stops. You can’t go through the motions. You have to work your drills every day.”
Mattonelli also had to work on getting his timing down with quarterback Michael Marchesano, who took over the reins in the middle of last season.
“Just like the footwork and everything else, you gotta keep working on it,” he said. “It’s hard to get it perfect but you try to get it as best you can.”
The two connected for Mattonelli’s touchdown this year on a play action timing pattern. Although it came late in a blowout loss to Morrisville, it was still exciting for Mattonelli.
“We run a deep post,” he explained. “On my outside step, I break to the post. I don’t look up until the third outside step, and our quarterback does a seven-step drop, fakes the handoff and doesn’t look for me, he just throws it toward the uprights. It doesn’t work all the time, but it’s a shot we like to take once in a while.”
Mattonelli admitted that, growing up as a running back, he never envisioned himself being a receiver. But 5-foot-10, 175-pound running backs aren’t very common in college football, no matter what division.
“I always wanted to play running back but after I realistically looked at my opportunities, I’m a skinnier guy, and you need a lot of weight to play running back,” he said. “Your body takes a lot of beating there. These guys are legit. The linemen and linebackers are much bigger than in high school.
“I love the game, I wanted to keep playing, and give myself an opportunity to succeed at some other position. It’s worked out. I definitely like the position.”
Mattonelli has needed that love of the game this year, as TCNJ had struggled to a 1-6 record through its first seven games. It would be easy to get down, but as he said, “You’re still playing football, and I love to play football.”
He added that the rest of the team has the same attitude.
“None of us are here on scholarship, we’re not here because we’re trying to go to the next level,” he said. “We’re playing because we love the game. We wouldn’t be putting all this work and effort in if we didn’t love it. You’re still working toward the common goal. You’ve gotta make the best of it.”
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