Daniel Evert had only been on Temple’s campus and working out with the football team for a couple of weeks before he suffered a setback. The freshman tight end broke his left hand during his first college spring camp, stunting his early development.
Evert healed by the time fall camp rolled around, but when things finally seemed to be going right, he broke the same hand again and had to miss the first three weeks of the season. The Regenberg, Germany, native spent his summer days getting reps with a club on his hand, which made the adjustment to American football even more difficult.
“I was catching with the club on during the whole fall camp,” Evert said. “So taking it off, kind of made it easier for me, because you don’t have the club anymore. I would say the club improved my catching.”
Evert got the club removed before Temple’s game against Utah State on Sept. 21 and his talents were on full display. He scored a touchdown in each of his first two games, showing the skills that made him a coveted target for Temple coaches.
Last season, Temple lost tight ends David Martin-Robinson and Jordan Smith from the top of the depth chart, but Evert still had a tall mountain to climb with five other tight end options in front of him on this year’s depth chart. His injuries also casted doubt on him seeing any game action. But Evert has quickly gone from being an afterthought in a crowded tight end room to being an important factor in just four games.
Evert fell in love with football growing up in Germany and quickly got involved with PPI, a program that assists international athletes by giving them exposure to college coaches.
Temple tight ends coach Adam Scheier was at a camp at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia when he picked up a tight end measurable report. As he was casually scanning the list, one name caught his attention.
Evert had all the intangibles that Scheier was looking for and he worked to get in contact with him, hoping to bring Evert to Temple.
“We went through all the prospects that were there, looking for tight ends that you know had the size and speed and measurables that we’re looking for. And his name popped out,” Scheier said. “We followed up and watched some of his video, and saw he had some talent. So we started communicating with him to try to get him to camp with us here at Temple two summers ago.”
When Evert went to Temple for a visit, he blew the coaches away with his on-field talent. His route running and pass-catching abilities were enough for Scheier and head coach Stan Drayton to offer him on the spot and Evert committed in June 2023.
Evert’s decision to come to Temple was partially because of the presence of other international athletes, specifically fellow tight end Peter Clarke. The England native joined Temple through the NFL Academy a year before Evert. Having been in Evert’s shoes already, Clarke stepped up to help guide him through the transition.
“Just being a friendly face to him as someone who had kind of already hit some of the speed bumps you hit as an international student and athlete,” Clarke said. “So I was kind of helping him navigate different situations and how to do some things that would be done differently back home.”
Clarke tried to be the best possible mentor to Evert, but nothing could have prepared him for breaking his hand twice in a matter of months. Evert had to work on his own off the field to ensure he did not fall behind his competition.
While still getting his reps in with a club on his hand, Evert studied the Owls’ playbook and tried to absorb as much information as possible while out of action. The tight end put in as much work as he could off the field so that when his number was called he was ready.
“He’s very intentional in the classroom and really intentional about learning the playbook,” Scheier said. “But then also being able to apply it to the advanced game over here in the States and certainly both injuries have set him back but he’s locked in during meetings. And gets his mental reps in.”
The dedication to honing his craft while not playing had immediate results. After missing the first three weeks due to his injury, Evert was finally active for the first time against Utah State on Sept. 21. He made his first career catch in the game — a 16-yard touchdown. The next week against Army, he recorded two catches for 64 yards and another touchdown.
Evert’s quick success seems surprising considering he is an international freshman who dealt with injuries to start his career. But Evert isn’t shocked by his recent performance — it was his expectation.
“It felt pretty amazing [to score two touchdowns in two games],” Evert said. “But if you played football that’s what you want to do, score touchdowns and help your team win.”
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