UMass linebacker Jalen Stewart, who was recently granted an extra year of eligibility, is set to join Temple's linebacker room, he announced on Wednesday.

Stewart spent the last three seasons at UMass, where he was coached by current Temple linebackers coach Keith Dudzinski, who was the Minutemen's defensive coordinator at the time. Prior to that, Stewart spent a year at Monroe College after a standout career at Freedom High School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Due to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavila's lawsuit arguing against junior college years counting against NCAA eligibility, Stewart was granted an extra year of eligibility due to his time spent at Monroe. Temple cornerback Ben Osueke has also benefited from the lawsuit in a similar fashion.

Stewart started all 12 game in Dudzinski's defense last year and finished the season with 77 tackles and 2.5 sacks, highlighted by a 1.5 sack performance against Mississippi State and a 14-tackle outburst against Northern Illinois. Stewart was awarded a 76.9 overall defensive rating by Pro Football Focus, the highest score of any UMass starter.

At Temple, Stewart will join a linebacker room that returns contributors like Eric Stuart and Tyree Alualu, as well as new transfers like Jayvant Brown (Kentucky), Willy Love (Monmouth) and Ty Davis (Delaware).