Jadan Blue had reasons to stick around at Temple
Jadan Blue could have opted for the transfer portal in search of greener pastures like many of his former teammates.
Instead, he chose to stay loyal to Temple, crediting his decision to his receiver’s coach, Thad Ward, and the potential in the quarterback room following the departures of three-year starter Anthony Russo and second-string quarterback Trad Beatty.
“The biggest thing was Coach [Thad] Ward, especially, and the staff,” Blue said during Tuesday’s media availability. “I always loved the staff no matter what. Whatever the situation may be, I’m always going to have love for them outside of football. That was one of the biggest things that brought me back, on top of us getting [D’Wan Mathis],”
Ward was praised for his development of young talent since joining the program in 2019, starting with Blue, who became the program’s first single-season 1,000-yard receiver.
He followed up his historic season with 41 receptions for 381 yards and five touchdowns across six games in the Owls’ shortened 2020 season.
Two days into spring practice, Blue gave some insight into what he’s seen from the quarterback competition thus far.
“As soon as [Mathis] committed to Temple, [building chemistry] was something that we worked on,” Blue said of the Georgia transfer and former 4-star recruit. “Just trying to figure out what we’re doing and where our heads are at. That carried over to when we got here. You kind of feel like you already know the person just from a few text messages.”
Blue spoke highly of Mathis’ arm but qualified that success in college football isn’t just about arm strength. The 6-foot, 185-pound receiver added that Mathis' mindset and competitiveness is something he’s been drawn to.
Mathis has exceeded expectations in Blue’s eyes since getting to 10th and Diamond, but he’s not the only quarterback rising to the occasion of spring practice.
"I'm really liking what I'm seeing from (former Northern Illinois quarterback) Mariano [Valenti], really like what I'm seeing from him,” Blue said. “Me and him had a really good conversation a week or so ago, just talking about him always staying ready, you never know how the situation may be.
"You can see clearly with his preparation and everything he's been doing, it's paying off because he has started off with a great spring ball."
Blue said the receiver room has a better sense of what they’re getting from Re-al Mitchell after the Iowa State transfer appeared in three games this past season, but Mitchell has some things he can improve upon to “be the best version of himself.”
Blue hasn’t taken substantial reps with any of the other guys in the quarterback room so he didn’t feel comfortable commenting on the performances of Matt Duncan, Kamal Gray or T.J. Pergine just yet.
The redshirt junior is the rightful heir to the throne as Temple’s go-to on the outside following Branden Mack’s exit for the NFL Draft. He’ll be complemented by Randle Jones, who could fill out Mack’s role at X-receiver.
Beyond those two, redshirt sophomore Jose Barbon can be the next guy to step up behind him after seeing action in five of Temple’s seven games last season.
Barbon hauled in eight catches for 82 yards, including a season-long 17-yard reception in a loss to East Carolina.
“Jose is the kind of person that does everything right,” Blue said. “He’s going to know his plays, he’s going to handle his academics, he’s going to do everything right. In order for him to step up his game, it’s going to be a matter of having confidence in his hands, doing the little things outside of football… and making sure he’s going to Coach Ward to watch film.”
If Mathis can live up to the hype while Jones and Barbon each take a step forward, both could help Blue make waves as one of the best wideouts in the American Athletic Conference this fall.
Front page photo courtesy of Matthew Hinton.