Football offseason notebook: Owls add transfer running back
New Temple head coach Stan Drayton is continuing to shape his first roster after the team wrapped up spring practices last month. The Owls have started dipping into the transferring portal and some depth players from last year’s team have started to move on.
Additionally, the NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday, and although no Owls were selected during the three-day event, one former Owl did find a home after it was over.
Here’s a recap of the football team’s latest movement.
Temple adds another Power-5 talent to its running back room
Former Illinois running back Jakari Norwood announced he was transferring to Temple Sunday. Norwood spent four years with the Fighting Illini but has two years of eligibility remaining.
Norwood is a former two-star recruit who played in a limited role while at Illinois. In his career, he’s carried the ball just 49 times for 244 yards, but he does average 5.0 yards per carry.
Norwood joins a crowded Temple backfield that now includes three transfers from Power-5 programs. The other two are Darvon Hubbard, who transferred from Texas A&M, and Iverson Clement, who transferred from Florida.
The former Illini product will likely have to compete with Hubbard and Clement, along with incumbents Edward Saydee and Trey Blair for reps during fall camp.
Norwood's announcement came a little more than a week after Temple picked up a significant addition via the transfer portal in Georgia Tech wide receiver Adonicas Sanders and almost a month after the Owls landed Michigan State transfer receiver Ian Stewart.
Stevenson set to transfer
After four seasons with the Owls, Ronnie Stevenson was reported to have entered the transfer portal Sunday. Stevenson played mostly on special teams with the Owls after coming from Montour High School in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania.
Stevenson joins seven other Temple players who have entered the portal since the conclusion of spring practices, although none were expected to be major contributors this season.
The other players include safety Chauncey Moore, running Kyle Dobbins, defensive back Garrett Williams, quarterback Matt Duncan, linebacker Audley Isaacs, defensive back Andrew Garwo and defensive lineman Tyreke Young.
Niese signs as UDFA
Micahel Niese, Temple’s former starting right tackle, signed a UDFA contract with the Denver Broncos following the conclusion of the NFL Draft on Saturday night.
Niese transferred from Dayton prior to the 2020 season and immediately won a starting job in fall camp. Niese participated in Temple’s pro-day in March where he jumped 8 feet, 7 inches in the broad jump, 29.5 inches in the vertical jump, and recorded 23 bench press reps. Niese also ran a 5.08-second 40-yard dash.
Niese will join former Temple kicker Brandon McManus on the Broncos if he makes the team.