Ali and Simmons highlight Class of 2015
In a way, Temple's two 4-star recruits served as perfect examples of what made up the Owls' Class of 2015.
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On one hand, you had Kareem Ali, a local product from Timber Creek High School that decided instead of going to a school far away, such as Florida or Maryland, he would stay home. On the other hand, you had T.J. Simmons an out-of-state prospect that decided he was willing to make the transition to Philadelphia in order to play college ball.
By combining local products like Ali with transplants like Simmons, Temple coach Matt Rhule and staff have appeared to put together the makings of a productive recruiting class.
"This was a special group," Rhule told reporters at Edberg Olson Hall Wednesday afternoon. "They're really sort of a Temple group. We've read a lot about Kareem Ali being a Temple baby, having the opportunity to go anywhere in the country really and deciding that he could make his mark right here where his father and mother went to school."
"It was just really nice getting to know these kids," Rhule added. "It was just really nice to be involved with recruiting being done the right way…these are kids that wanted to be here. They're proud of the fact that they're going to come play football and get an education at Temple. That's really what I'm excited about."
Temple added 21 players from nine different states for the Class of 2015. The class, which as of Wednesday night was ranked No. 75 in the nation and No. 4 in the American Athletic Conference, is fairly evenly split with 11 defensive players and 10 offensive players. Three players, midyear transfer quarterback Logan Marchi , greyshirt defensive end William Updegrove and Ali, have already enrolled at Temple and will participate in Spring practice.
On offense, it was apparent that Temple looked to improve its stagnant running game. Last year, Temple rushed for just 1,293 rushing yards and 3.5 yards per attempt. Instead of being led in rushing by one of the four running backs that were utilized in a prominent role at times, Temple was led by quarterback P.J. Walker's 324 rushing yards. As a result, Rhule and his staff went out and signed three running backs, each with an impressive pedigree.
Simmons has garnered most of the limelight so far and for a good reason. The 4-star Florida native originally committed to UCLA over offers from schools like Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and Penn State. Eventually, however, Simmons decommitted from the Bruins and chose Temple over Marshall Wednesday morning. After rushing for 1,257 yards as a junior, Simmons broke his leg in the season opener of his senior year but is now fully healed.
"T.J. was committed (to UCLA)," Rhule said. "But he had a good relationship with (Temple defensive line coach Elijah Robinson)and as the season went on, he kind of kept following us and staying in touch with us...as things came down the stretch, I think he saw an opportunity to come to Temple...and said to himself, 'That's what I want to do.'"
"He's heralded, he's fast, he's explosive and he has a chance to be a big back," Rhule added.
Locally, Millville's Ryquell Armstead may end up being just as good as his more heralded future teammate. Armstead was thrust into a starting role after former Purdue commit Rob Ennis was booted from Millville's team back in October. In Ennis' place, Armstead rushed for 1,488 yards and 18 touchdowns in his senior year. As a result of his production, Armstead garnered a late offer from Virginia but stayed true to Temple.
"Recruiting Ryquell reminds me of when we recruited Bernard Pierce," Rhule said. "Bernard was a local kid, a little bit under the radar, came to camp, ran extremely fast and was really competitive. And that's what Ryquell is…he was the fastest kid in New Jersey at 210 pounds."
Lastly, Rhule, offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and defensive backs coach Francis Brown went back to their old stomping grounds of Western Carolina, where the trio coached together in the mid 2000's, to secure the commitment of Jager Gardner. Gardner rushed for a staggering 2,776 yards and 36 touchdowns as a senior and 2,578 yards and 31 touchdowns as a junior. Gardner chose Temple over offers from Virginia, Akron and Georgia Southern.
The two offensive linemen that Temple signed, Jovahn Fair and Benson Israel, were identified by the staff as players that could step in and play as true freshmen. At receiver, the Owls added a speedster in Cortrelle Simpson and a prep school standout in Delvon Randall, who originally committed to Temple out of high school but ended up at East Coast Prep. Midyear enrollee quarterback Logan Marchi, who originally committed to Connecticut out of high school, and tight ends Roy Pugh and Jake Robinson round out the offensive side of the ball.
Defensively, Ali, junior college defensive tackle Greg Webb, Lakewood's Chapelle Cook and Washington defensive end Josiah Bronson stuck out. Overall, Temple added five defensive linemen, four linebackers and two defensive backs to a unit that finished No. 4 in the nation in scoring defense underneath defensive coordinator Phil Snow.
Webb, who played high school ball at Timber Creek with Ali and redshirt-sophomore running back Zaire Williams, initially committed to Penn State before signing with North Carolina out of high school. He would play one season for the Tar Heels before winding up at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. Even after all that, Webb initially committed to Rutgers before flipping to Temple in December.
"I think Greg had a lot of options this year," Rhule said. "So I think he thought, 'Why wouldn't I just go somewhere where one of my buddies is having a lot of success and where I can trust Coach Fran, Coach Elijah and Coach Snow with my future?' I think he's just happy to get here and get started once he gets all the work done."
Chapelle Cook played quarterback, running back and linebacker for Lakewood but will play linebacker for Temple. The 3-star prospect chose Temple over offers from Rutgers, Boston College, Pittsburgh and a late offer from Wisconsin.
"When [Cook] committed to us, he never wavered, no matter who came in," Rhule said. "I think he has a chance to be an impact guy on defense...We're talking to those kids, him and Daishaun Grimes, and we're saying 'What are we going to do in two years when (Nate D. Smith) is gone and (Tyler Matakevich) is gone? Who is going to pick up the torch and run with it?' And I think Chapelle has a chance to be that guy."
While it may seem strange that a player would choose to come to Philadelphia from a high school outside of Seattle, Bronson did just that. The decision was largely fueled by the fact that Bronson's brother, former Arizona Cardinal John Bronson, played football with Temple defensive line coach Elijah Robinson. In the end, that familiarity led to Bronson deciding to commit to the Owls, Rhule said.
"John knew that Elijah would take good care of him," Rhule said. "So his family came out, they checked out and while he had options to stay out there, he did what Jacob Martin did last year and he came across the country…both players played in the NFL in one way or the other and we think Josiah has unlimited potential like his brothers."
In the end, Temple brought in 21 kids on Wednesday and may be in the position to take one more player if Canadian defensive end Mathieu Betts chooses Temple over the option of staying in Canada. Regardless of Betts' decision, however, Temple has added a number of players with high profile offers that should make an impact on Temple's football program. Despite the uptick in star power, however, the ideal situation would be for every freshman to wait their turn, Rhule said.
"If we have a great program, all the freshmen aren't playing," Rhule said. "They're kind of sitting and waiting their turn. But I think there's some guys here that might have a chance to get us over the hump."
OwlScoop.com assistant editor Kyle Gauss can be reached at kgauss@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter at @kylegauss.