St. Joe’s Prep’s Rameir Hardy remained committed to Temple because he ‘believes in Coach Keeler’

Hardy says he never had “a waver of confidence from Temple” after signing his letter of intent to join the Owls on Wednesday. He believes new coach K.C. Keeler can turn the program around.

St. Joe’s Prep receiver Rameir Hardy is staying home for college after signing his letter of intent to play for Temple.Read moreJose F. Moreno / Staff Photographer

by Johnny Zawislak

Published Dec. 4, 2024, 7:51 p.m. ET

Rameir Hardy lined up under center for his first snap at St. Joseph’s Prep as the starting quarterback of the freshman team. He prepared to run the play his coaches called, but after he saw how the defense lined up, the young athlete ran a different play.

That didn’t go over well.

Hardy received an earful from his coaching staff when the drive ended. His coaches told Hardy that he needed to run what they called.

“We said, ‘We don’t do that here. It’s your first play,’” St. Joe’s Prep football coach Tim Roken said. “He called his own number — a sense of pride there.”

Three years later, Hardy received another call on Tuesday: from Temple’s newly appointed football coach, K.C. Keeler.

This time, the wide receiver didn’t check out.

Hardy and six of his teammates signed their letters of intent Wednesday on National Signing Day. The Philadelphia native put pen to paper after verbally committing to Temple in July.

“I feel great. This is a dream come true,” Hardy said. “I was able to stay home, and [I] believe in Coach Keeler. I have a lot of trust and a lot of belief in him and what he can do for our program. Last night, I was going to sleep, and I just kept replaying the Temple band song.”

Since his freshman year, Hardy switched from quarterback to wide receiver and a role on special teams. Last year, he finished with 13 receptions for 105 yards, and this season earned second-team All-Catholic League Red Division.

The road from his freshman year at quarterback and signing his national letter of intent was not easy.

Hardy dealt with injuries and doubts about the best ways to help his team. Through countless hours in the film room, lifting weights, and talking with his coaches, Hardy molded himself into the player he is today.

“It was tough man, it was truly tough,” Hardy said. “I had a lot of adversity, injuries, having to navigate how to become better and become valuable to my team. Not just on special teams, but as a wide receiver as well. The first thing my coaches taught me was you got to be able to block. So I went all-in on blocking. From there, I caught passes and eventually caught touchdown passes. It’s been a grind.”

Typically, recruits would worry about a coaching change like Temple moving on from Stan Drayton. After all, Drayton’s staff earned Hardy’s verbal pledge.

The young receiver wasn’t fazed. He knew Temple was his next step before Keeler dialed his number.

“It was never really a waver of confidence from Temple,” Hardy said. “When I sat down and talked with my family [on Tuesday], there was no doubt in my mind that Temple was the place for me to be. I didn’t need to explore other coaches or other places because I choose the hard road every time.

“No one ever said Temple was going to be easy. No one ever said we were going to win a national championship in our first year. As Coach Keeler said, you got to be unrealistic. I’m an unrealistic person. I think within the next four years, we could be 8-4 [and] playing in conference championship games.”

Hardy and Keeler talked about many things, but Hardy really appreciated Keeler’s ability to turn struggling programs into winners.

Keeler helped lay the groundwork to help Sam Houston State move up from the FCS level to FBS and find success. Hardy believes Keeler can help get Temple back on track.

“[Keeler] goes to places that aren’t winning, programs that are down and out, and he turns them upside down the right way,” Hardy said. “We will be successful, we will win, and we will be competing for conference championships soon.”

Of the other six signees Wednesday, five signed for Power Five schools. Defensive lineman Maxwell Roy and running back Isaiah West signed to Ohio State. Linebacker Anthony Sacca signed with Notre Dame. Linebacker Cameron Smith signed with Penn State. Offensive lineman Kahlil Stewart is headed to Syracuse, and fellow offensive lineman Bleek Turner committed to Monmouth.

“I’m very happy for them,” Roken said. “They’ve spent a lot of time working and developing to get to where they are. To see the fruits of their labor and have the opportunity to go play college football is very special.”

The Prep’s football season isn’t over, though.

The Hawks will have to shift their focus from celebrating their signing day to playing in the PIAA Class 6A championship game against Pittsburgh’s Central Catholic High School on Saturday at Cumberland Valley. The players who were honored on Wednesday have been the focal point of Roken’s roster and are expected to have an impact in the championship game.

“I think the guys have been really good at practice,” Roken said. “You get to this time of the year where they got to take the keys. We’re working really hard as coaches to build a plan to put them in the best position to be successful. There’s obviously a sense of urgency. You know we can’t waste time when we’re out on the field. Looking forward to Saturday night with a great opponent.”