Jadan Blue has no doubts he'll repeat his record-breaking season
Jadan Blue has come a long way since 2017.
In his first two seasons with the Owls, Blue wasn’t utilized much under former coach Geoff Collins’ offense. In his first season at Temple, Blue didn’t play in a single game, which led him to redshirt that year.
In 2018, Blue only recorded three catches on 39 yards and three carries on 18 yards as a redshirt-freshman. He left the team after seven games for personal reasons.
But after Collins left to take the Georgia Tech job, something clicked for Blue with new head coach Rod Carey and his staff. Blue rejoined the team and flourished in a big way last fall. The redshirt-sophomore recorded 1,067 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 95 catches, becoming the first Temple receiver to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a single season. Blue’s breakthrough season earned him Second Team All-American Athletic Conference honors.
So what changed between leaving the team and coming back and finding his groove with the new staff?
“That’s a story that I can’t wait to tell,” Blue said during Friday’s media availability, "about that experience. But I'm gonna wait to tell it. But honestly when it comes to this staff, they welcomed me, myself back and they made me feel at home again.
“I loved Coach Collins, his crazy self. I loved him. Love Coach Carey. But this staff here is different. They get all the applause. They make you feel happy. They make you feel like you want to come in and work. It’s a difference when you just honestly wake up in the morning and you want to work for the man that’s ahead of you. They make you feel like we’re their sons in a sense. They actually care about us. They actually love us.”
This season, Blue earned a spot on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The award is given to the best receiver in college football.
Blue’s improved play also earned him a single-digit jersey. This year, Blue will wear No. 5, which belonged to former linebacker Shaun Bradley for the past two seasons. Bradley was a sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles and could be playing a lot of snaps for them this fall as a rookie.
“To be completely honest, the single-digit thing, I didn’t really understand it at first,” Blue said. “When I first came, I just wanted to be a freshman and get my favorite number. But at the same time, I’m honored by it, to be able to have it. It’s something that my family can be able to say ‘Yeah, my son’s a single-digit.’ It’s not just any other number at a school. You gotta do the right things off the field, on the field, in the facility. Wherever you go, you gotta be the standard and I appreciate my team and my coaches nominating me for something that’s such a high honor.”
Blue will be relied upon to lead the receiving corps, along with fellow single-digits Randle Jones and Branden Mack, who will wear No. 0 and 1, respectively. Last season, Blue, Jones and Mack combined for 2,003 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Jones was limited to one catch for a 32-yard touchdown on Oct. 26 against UCFafter only playing in four games due to a hamstring injury.
The trio will be responsible for developing the younger receivers such as Jose Barbon, Kadas Reams, Jordan Smith, Kwesi Evans, De’Von Fox and Ronnie Stevenson.
Jones acknowledged that every receiver on the team emulates what Blue does, even though he and Mack have been on the team longer than Blue.
“Honestly, we all wrap around Blue,” Jones said. “He’s the guy in our group. He’s the engine in our group, so we all go to him. He’s the leader and we just follow his footsteps because we all wanna be 1,000-yard receivers, so we’re doing what he's doing. We’re getting better everyday. We pay attention to detail and we’re just honing in and getting around him because he’s doing everything right.”
Blue believes he’s improved in many areas from last season, including his awareness, athleticism and ability to read opposing defenses.
Blue won’t be able to see the field for Temple until Sept. 26 against Navy. After that Temple’s next game isn’t until Oct. 17 against USF.
Despite the shortened season, Blue thinks he can reach the same numbers he recorded last season.
“I will have that same year,” Blue said. “There is no ifs, no doubt about it.”