A conversation with Jeff Knowles: Part One

In his second season as Temple's defensive coordinator in 2020, Jeff Knowles coached a makeshift unit that, due to injuries, opt-outs and COVID contact tracing, started three freshmen in the last game of the season.

Knowles recently spoke with OwlScoop.com to discuss the 2020 season and the future of the Owls' defense. In the first of a three-part series, Knowles broke down Temple's linebacking corps.

OwlScoop.com: Obviously you don’t want to play your hand with this, but it seems like you have a good problem at the linebacker position. Even with Isaiah Graham-Mobley leaving, you have four, five or maybe even six guys that can step in there. Do you think that speaks to your depth at that position already?

Knowles: "We liked our young guys at the end of the year. With what we had, we weren’t sure how much they were going to get to play, but we thought highly of them, to tell you the truth. Next year, we’ve got six guys that have played college football. That’s very rare that you can say that. Just counting the MIKE and WILL linebackers, we have six guys that have played college football. You’ve got three deep and all of them have some experience. The guys that got out there this year, when they got their shot, they showed some good flashes and some good signs.

"We’ve already started our meetings and all six of [the returning contributing linebackers] have played some football. [Redshirt-freshman linebacker Yvandy Rigby] got the first two games, but then he got hurt. I think he was the leading tackler in the two games he played. Those guys need experience. We’ve got to have a great spring. There’s no doubt we’ve got to have a great spring. We have work to do. All of them have the ability. I’m definitely not worried about what we lost. I’m worried about the guys that are here. I’m excited about them because they all have the ability to be really good. It’s going to be fun to watch them compete, fight and strain for playing time this year."

OwlScoop.com: With Yvandy Rigby, he saw some time at BUBO last season, but is he a guy you see playing inside as well?

Knowles: "He could play both. He’s that guy that can do that. I’m going to try to keep him at MIKE to start, but he could definitely, in personnel groups, have a shot to play BUBO. You’ll see him on the field line up there. But at the start of spring, because of our numbers and where we’re at, he’s going to start at MIKE. But then yes, he’ll have a package where he transitions to that position."

OwlScoop.com: With five collegiate games under his belt, Kobe Wilson has said that he’s ready to step into a leadership role. What does that say to you about him and his character?

Knowles: "We knew recruiting Kobe out of high school that he was a high-character kid. He was a leader on his team and his high school coach spoke so highly of him. We though he’d contribute early, but obviously I didn’t expect it to happen that fast. Really, he would have gotten more games in if it wasn’t for the contact tracing and the year that it was. He prepares the right way. He came in, he learned the defense, and he’s not afraid to ask questions when he doesn’t understand something. He’s that type of kid. He goes full go on everything he does.

OwlScoop.com: Wilson said he’s not sure what his role will be, but he’s said that there’s been talk of him playing any of the three linebacker positions. Is there a specific position you like him at or is his versatility an asset?

Knowles: "Right now, he’s at our WILL linebacker position. That’s where he came in and where he started out. Last year, he showed us a great job of showing us he can play all three. There was one game where he had to play all three due to depth and rotational purposes. Between the MIKE and WILL linebacker, I try to cross train those guys. They’ve got to know each one. With [Wilson], he’s a guy that will start out as WILL, but I can see, as he grows, that eventually you might want him as your MIKE backer. Making the calls, he's such a smart player. I can see him growing into that role where he’s setting the front and making some of the adjustments. I teach them to learn both because you never know what the situation is going to be, as we saw this year"

OwlScoop.com: It seems like you’ve had conversations with the guys that are still on the roster about being all in. What are the conversations like with those guys, especially when you have younger guys like Wilson that are young but are spirited?

Knowles: "That’s the thing about [Wilson]. He’s earned the respect of everybody just by the way he worked. That’s not easy to do with a veteran group, to walk in as a freshman and do that. But it’s all about the way he prepares. He’s earned the respect of the veteran guys. It’s going to be fun to watch with these guys because we have a lot of single digits open. I’m looking forward to seeing these guys compete and see who ends up earning these single digits and earning the respect of their peers when it comes time to vote for that.

"What I love about this group of linebackers right now is that they’re working together. I have George Reid and Wilson competing against each other, but they’re helping each other. George Reid right now, he’s got to beat Kobe out for a starting spot, but he’s in here helping Kobe get better, helping him learn the defense. When you’ve got guys that are unselfish like that and are all about the team, that’s the type of stuff we talk about when we mean all in. It’s not all about the stats you’re getting, it’s about the team and it’s about winning."

OwlScoop.com: What have you seen from West Virginia transfer Kwantel Raines and freshman Muheem McCargo? Raines was ineligible last year and opted out of the season, but I don’t know if you’ve been able to see much of him so far.

Knowles: "We haven’t seen too much (of Raines) because we’ve only been down in the weight room, but I’m excited to see what he does. Even last spring, we had one practice, so we didn’t get to see him last spring before COVID hit. He ended up opting out, so we didn’t get to see him when we came back.

"With McCargo, he was a guy that was in the rotation in a couple of personnel groupings last year where he got on the field a little bit. ... He didn’t get as many plays as we thought he would, but he was always ready. He’s another guy in that group that we’re excited to see what he can do. If you look at our outside linebacker/BUBO position, you have Raines, McCargo and I’m not counting out Thomas Joe-Kamara. Last year, he ended up getting beat out, but I’m excited to see what he can do if he comes back with the right mindset and goes after it. I think those three guys will really compete at that spot.

"The other guy, who you kind of forget about due to the opt-outs, is DaeSean Winston. Winston’s a guy that’s played a lot of football before, but right before the season, he opted out. Now he shows up at our office the other day, and it’s like, ‘Oh, hey. Good to see you.’ You haven’t seen some of these guys for a while. There are a lot of guys this spring that will be fun to watch and see who steps up."