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Published Aug 8, 2024
Dante Wright offers a look at Owls' WRs, secondary
Johnny Zawislak
OwlScoop.com Staff Reporter

When Temple wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier was hired in February, he had his work cut out for him. Just six of the 19 receivers on Temple’s roster had played the position at the FBS level.

With Carrier still learning offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf’s offense and the new receivers needing some extra guidance, Carrier relied upon some of the veterans for help, including rising sixth-year veteran Dante Wright.

“When he came in, we had a couple guys that knew the offense just a little bit more than him, just because him being new to the offense, so he kind of leaned on us to kind of help him get the young guys going, especially in the summer, when the coaches were gone,” Wright told OwlScoop.com Wednesday. “That was a really good time for the older guys in the room to kind of show the younger guys how to operate, how the season is going to go, and just what the coaches are looking for, how the quarterbacks are going to help us get the ball.”

Wright spoke with reporters on Wednesday on Zoom and mentioned that he and Carrier have clicked since he joined the team.

“I have a really good relationship with [Carrier],” Wright said. “I think he’s a really good guy, really good coach. I can trust that he’s telling me everything that I need to know to be able to prepare well for these games this season. I’m really excited that he’s my coach.”

In his first season at Temple after transferring in from Colorado State, Wright finished with 39 receptions for 507 yards and four touchdowns. He was also the top punt returner and led the team in all-purpose yards, all while playing through a lower-body injury.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Wright has aspirations of playing in the NFL and still has parts of his game he wants to improve heading into his sixth collegiate season.

“You always want to work on getting better,” Wright said. “In my game, I think being a better route runner is something that I want to work on during this camp. I’ve had a lot of coaches during my time in college, so there was always something to learn. I’m always a sponge, just absorbing all the information I can get. Anything that can get me better I’m all for it.”

While there are many questions surrounding Temple’s offense heading into next season, the foremost one is who will be starting under center.

Wright, however, isn’t as worried about who’s going to be throwing him the ball. He’s confident in all three of the candidates for the QB1 spot, be it Forrest Brock, Rutgers transfer Evan Simon or redshirt freshman Tyler Douglas, who was singled out Monday by third-year head coach Stan Drayton.

Wright’s main focus is that he does his part, no matter who’s taking the snaps.

“It’s a battle going on,” Wright said. “Whoever comes up, I gotta do my job because I know that they’re depending on guys to make plays for them. I really like Forrest, I really like Evan, really like Tyler, so there’s not really one that I’m picking right now. I like all of them right now.”

Wright’s scouting report on the receivers and secondary

In that largely young wide receiver room, two returners have caught Wright’s attention in redshirt junior Zae Baines and redshirt freshman Preston Everhart.

Baines finished his 2023 campaign with career highs in receptions (36) and receiving yards (442). Baines has seen progress every year that he has been in the program, and Wright is optimistic that the trend will continue.

“I really like how [Baines] is working right now,” Wight said. “He’s getting open, he’s getting separation, he’s attacking the ball in the air. We’re doing pretty good out there at receiver. We just gotta be able to have the quarterbacks trust us. I think we’re doing a good job of that right now.”

Everhart, a 5-10, 175-pound slot receiver, was a lacrosse star at Ohio’s Dublin Jerome High School before coming to the east coast for a postgraduate season at New Jersey’s Hun School.

“I like Preston,” Wright said. “He’s been doing really good this fall and really in the spring, too. He’s been really impressive. I think he creates separation really well and with him being in the slot, he’s a shifty guy, quick, so I think it’s a really good matchup for him with safeties. He’s been working all of camp and he’s looking really good.”

Wright spoke highly when asked about true freshman Bryson Goodwin. The Tampa Jesuit wide receiver was ranked as a three-star prospect according to Rivals and caught 18 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns as a senior.

He is also the son of Harold Goodwin, who is entering his first season with the Carolina Panthers as the assistant head coach and run game coordinator. Harold Goodwin has nearly 20 years of coaching experience in the NFL.

“Bryson is a quiet guy,” Wright said. “He kind of reminds me of myself when I was a freshman – taking it all in, not really saying too much. He’s getting it. He’s impressed me in that aspect. It can be a big playbook for freshmen. So it’s been kind of impressive how he’s been able to soak up the information, obtain it and go to work.”

And looking across at Temple’s revamped secondary, two of the many newcomers have caught Wright’s eye while.

“The corners that they brought in this year, Jamel [Johnson] and Torey [Richardson] are really good for us,” Wright said. “They’ve been pretty good. We had a lot of good going on in the spring, summer and fall camps. Those are two corners that they brought on that are really good for us.”

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