Preview: Temple football heads into spring practice
Temple football kicks off its delayed start to spring practice Monday with the intent of seeing the field on a cycle of two consecutive days with one day off until completing all 15 NCAA allotted practices.
Temple finished last season 1-6, with its sole win coming in a 39-37 shootout over USF. Already trimmed down to a conference-only schedule, Temple’s final regular-season game against Cincinnati was canceled due to positive COVID-19 cases and ensuing contact tracing in both programs. This came just one week after the Owls lost to East Carolina at home and dealt with a delayed as a result of a positive test before kickoff.
After some significant roster turnover following the culmination of the Owls’ shortened 2020 season, Temple third-year head coach coach Rod Carey and his staff are bringing in nine incoming transfers - four on offense and five on defense - leaving plenty of room for position competitions across the board in the coming weeks.
Carey, each position coach and select players will be made available to the media following throughout the week beginning with the third-year coach on Monday afternoon.
Here are OwlScoop.com’s position battles to keep an eye on, what to watch for and questions that need to be addressed.
Quarterback
Heading into the start of spring practice, look for the quarterback competition to provide the most significant buzz.
From the outside looking in, it appears as if D’Wan Mathis could have an edge, but that doesn’t mean he was promised the job after transferring over from Georgia
Mathis made his first collegiate start in Georgia’s season-opening win over Arkansas in 2020 but completed just 8 of 17 passes with 55 passing yards. He made subsequent appearances throughout the season but eventually lost hold of the starting position and finished the season with just one touchdown pass and three interceptions.
Now at Temple, Mathis has an opportunity to solidify himself as the guy for the Owls,
Mathis will be pushed for the starting job by Re-al Mitchell, Mariano Valenti and Matt Duncan during spring ball. Justin Lynch, Temple’s lone quarterback signee from the 2021 recruiting class, will not enroll until the summer and is currently participating in his senior season at Chicago's Mt. Carmel High School, which elected to conduct its season this spring. Other quarterbacks on the roster include walk-ons Kamal Gray, T.J. Pergine and Matthew Vitale.
Mitchell has the most experienced in the offense, which could give him a leg up in the wide-open quarterback battle. He played in three games for the Owls and made two starts last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury against UCF. Mitchell completed 26 of 52 passes with 238 passing yards, one passing touchdown and two interceptions. He also added 114 rushing yards on 34 carries.
While there was speculation regarding a potential move to wide receiver for Mitchell this offseason, the Iowa State transfer returns to the quarterback room after undergoing offseason knee surgery.
The staff also appears to be excited about Valenti and his prospects. He came over from Northern Illinois but was ruled ineligible after not obtaining a hardship waiver last season. The same could be said for Duncan, who would have started Temple’s would-be season finale against ECU if he wasn’t suspended prior to the game. The nature of Duncan’s suspension is unknown, but he has since been reinstated and will be a part of a four-man quarterback competition.
“I think Mariano Valenti is a great leader. I think he has a presence about him that truly carries a team,” Temple center C.J. Perez said on The Scoop, OwlScoop.com’s weekly podcast. “I think no one’s talking about him and I have a lot of trust in him as well. I see a lot of encouragement in him, just day in and day out, treating every day the same. ... He’s not the rah-rah guy, but the presence about him that he brings is very very big.”
Running back
Once one of the deeper positions on the team’s roster, Temple's running back room will welcome two additions to the backfield via the transfer portal in Ra’Von Bonner (Illinois) and Iverson Clement (Florida).
Bonner opted out of the 2020 campaign after playing three seasons at Illinois, where he totaled 822 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Bonner reunited with Temple receivers coach Thad Ward, who coached the running backs when he was with the Fighting Illini.
As for Clement, he was buried on a talented Florida Gators depth chart and played sparingly. As a redshirt sophomore in 2020, he has just 29 rushing yards on five carries. For his career in Gainesville, Clement totaled 94 rushing yards on 12 carries, with a long run of 41 yards coming during his redshirt freshman campaign. Coming out of Rancocas Valley in New Jersey in 2018, however, Clement was ranked by Rivals as a 4-star prospect and the No. 9 all-purpose back in the nation.
The new additions could potentially relegate Tayvon Ruley to a smaller role. Following Re’Mahn Davis entering the transfer portal after he was suspended by the program, Ruley stepped up as Temple’s lead back. The former walk-on earned a scholarship entering the 2020 campaign and proceeded to rush for 306 yards on 73 carries and a rushing touchdown.
Beyond Ruley on the depth chart are Edward Saydee, Onasis Neely and Kyle Dobbins. The trio of backs combined for 184 rushing yards on 54 carries and a rushing touchdown.
Cornerback
Temple’s cornerback room will drastically different this seaosn.
Christian Braswell and Linwood Crump both entered the transfer portal, while Kimere Brown elected to forgo his extra year of eligibility and pursue a professional career. Despite these departures, Temple has a fair amount of experienced cornerbacks as the Owls have brought in two veterans in transfers Keyshawn Paul and Cameron Ruiz.
Paul won’t be handed the No. 1 cornerback position right out of the gate. He’ll have to earn his spot on the field. That said, the UConn transfer was one of the better cornerbacks in the FBS in 2019, allowing just a 24-percent completion percentage in press coverage. Paul didn’t play in 2020, as the Huskies elected to cancel their season due to the ongoing pandemic.
As for Ruiz, while his signing has been announced, he won’t be joining the team until the summer after graduating from Northwestern this past month. Ruiz is likely to compete for playing time in the slot, but Ty Mason Jr. has a chance to put his hat in the ring this spring after he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID concerns.
In addition to Paul, Freddie Johnson, Elijah Clark, Nate Wyatt, Garrett Williams, Daiyaan Hawkins and Jeremy Jennings will compete for playing time at outside cornerback. Jennings recently made the transition from running back to cornerback and could be a name to watch here. However, Johnson, a converted receiver himself, currently has a leg up due to his seniority.
Johnson is returning to the fold, using his extra year of eligibility. He saw consistent playing time in a rotational role last season but was hampered by a hamstring injury as he has been in previous seasons. Playing in four games, 6-1, 185-pound cornerback recorded 13 total tackles, a fumble recovery and pass breakup.
Defensive Line
The most roster turnover the Owls saw at any one positional group was on the defensive line. Temple lost Ifeanyi Maijeh (Rutgers), Arnold Ebiketie (Penn State) and Khris Banks (Boston College) to the transfer portal while bringing in Willie Rodgers (Washington State), Xach Gill and Lancine Turay (North Carolina).
The top three guys coming off the edge will likely be Rodgers, Evan Boozer and Manny Walker. Boozer and Walker did a nice job of complementing each other at defensive end and were more than a formidable pass-rushing duo against ECU last season with Ebiketie sidelined due to contact tracing.
After coming over from Wake Forest, Walker contributed greatly and helped fill the void of Quincy Roche. Walker recorded 19 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks. Boozer added 10 total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
As for those who could potentially step up and make an impact, Layton Jordan, Travon King, Jacoby Sharpe, Tyreke Young and Dyshier Clary all have an opportunity to make some waves this spring.
Looking at the interior defensive line, the North Carolina transfers Gill and Turay figure to make an immediate impact.
In three seasons as a Tar Heel, Gill amassed 17 total tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery through 25 games played. Turay saw live-action twice throughout two seasons, getting on the field in one game each season sandwiching a redshirt year in 2019.
As for some returning faces, Kevin Robertson and Nick Bags are two players that have been talked up by the coaching staff and teammates alike. Bags has put on at least 10-15 pounds, according to Dan Archibong, who declared for the NFL Draft following the 2020 season.
Young players like Demerick Morris and Darian Varner can push for playing time, while early-enrollee Jalen Satchell also has an opportunity to turn some faces.
What to watch for:
OL configurement
The Owls are returning a group of offensive lineman who have a total of 127 collegiate starts under their belt. Only seven FBS teams in the country have more experience returning in the trenches.
In terms of passing protection, the interior of Temple’s offensive line ranked in the top half of the Group of Five last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Temple’s interior offensive line allowed just six total pressures on 71 true pass sets, which was ninth in the FBS in combined pass-block grade. What wasn’t pretty from the unit was its run-blocking grade, which ranked 89th in the FBS.
There’s a possibility that from left to right that Temple will go with an offensive line of Isaac Moore, Joseph Hooper, C.J. Perez, Michael Niese and Adam Klein. Any way you slice it, those are the five most likely starters, regardless of where they line up on the field.
At the same time, Wisdom Quarshie will also be in the mix and has a chance to push for a starting spot.
The redshirt freshman out of St. Joseph’s in Hammonton, NJ. started the final two games of Temple’s 2020 season at right guard. After a forgettable performance against UCF, he graded out as the team’s best pass-blocker against ECU.
Niese, who was a guard at Dayton before grad-transferring to Temple, played right tackle last season. He played left guard in Temple’s final two contests, putting together some of his better performances of the season. Niese is a possibility to play either guard position or right tackle.
While Klein didn’t line up at right tackle last season, he was listed there on the team’s final two-deep depth chart of the season. The Episcopal Academy product made 26 starts at right tackle in his first two years with the Owls before shifting over to right guard and making two starts at left guard last season.
Klein offers a level of positional versatility that the Owls will need to account for in replacing Vincent Picozzi, even though he dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout his Temple career. In addition to Picozzi transferring to Colorado State, David Nwaogwugwu also opted to enter the transfer portal and came out the other side at Rutgers.
The Owls have an interesting mix of young guys across the line, but from the looks of things, Bryce Thoman and Victor Stoffel are two freshmen who could each push to start at tackle. They, in addition to guys like Sam Davis, Jermaine Donaldson, Chevez Trask, Miles Zietek and early enrollee Keshaun Jones, will be worth following from a development standpoint.
The return of Blue and Jones
Two of Temple’s four returning single-digits are wide receivers.
There was speculation that both Jadan Blue and Randle Jones could join their former teammates in the transfer portal, but both opted to return to the program rather than seeing if the grass was really greener on the other side.
Last season, Blue led the team in receptions (41), receiving yards (381) and receiving touchdowns (5). After a career year in 2019, Blue battled through injuries throughout the 2020 campaign en route to finishing second in the conference in receptions per game (6.8).
As for Jones, he was arguably the team’s most effective wide receiver when healthy, but that’s been his biggest issue since arriving in North Philadelphia. The Miami native got off to a hot start in 2020, leading the team in receiving yards (81) in the home opener against USF and then followed up that performance with a career-high 12 receptions and 118 receiving yards against Memphis. Jones played 5 of 7 games for the Owls and recorded 31 receptions with 370 receiving yards and two touchdown catches.
When healthy, Blue will likely man the slot, while Jones will likely see the majority of his snaps at the “X” receiver position, in addition to rotating with the likes of Jose Barbon, Jordan Smith and Purdue transfer Amad Anderson Jr, who had 31 catches for 343 yards and three touchdowns for the Boilermakers in 2019.
Blue and Jones are expected to be leaders on the team’s offense, helping ease the quarterback transition from Anthony Russo to whoever’s under center in 2021 for Temple.
Questions that need to be answered:
Can special teams be fixed?
Before the Carey era, Temple’s special teams unit was one of the best in the FBS under Ed Foley’s direction.
In Carey’s 20 games as Temple’s head coach, special teams has largely become an afterthought. It’s not that the Owls don’t practice that group, and it’s not they don’t value it. The execution just simply hasn’t been there.
According to Football Outsiders, Temple ranked 110th in the FBS in kickoff return efficiency, 126th in kickoff efficiency, 113th in punt return efficiency, 81st in punting efficiency and 95th in field goal efficiency.
Adam Barry was the unit’s lone bright spot in 2020, finishing the season ranked third in the conference in average yards punted per game with 44. The junior punter made significant strides after statistically being the worst punter in the conference
As for kicker, Will Mobley took starting reps for the first half of this past season before being jumped in the depth chart by true freshman Rory Bell. The Wilmington, Ohio native connected on five field goals and three PATs in Temple's final four games.
Moving forward, it will be up to Carey and special teams coordinator Brett Diersen to change the narrative because of how detrimental the poor play has been to the team’s success, or lack thereof, in recent years. Because right now, the contribution Temple has been receiving from its special teams simply isn’t good enough.
What’s going on at kicker?
While the kicker job now appears to be Bell’s to lose, Temple quietly added another kicker to its roster. Gavin Dioniso has walked on to the roster after spending his previous two seasons at Bloomsburg University. The 5-foot-9, 160-pound kicker played his high school ball at Philadelphia's Archbishop Ryan and figures to at least push Bell for the starting spot.
Bell is the lone kicker remaining from Temple’s 2020 roster. Mobley elected to walk on as a grad transfer at Minnesota, while Will Leyland is no longer with the team. Where Bell ran into trouble last season was on kick-offs. Out of his 17 kickoff attempts, five of them went out of bounds, while only two were recorded as touchbacks.
Carey indicated to reporters back in December that he would like to add a kicker, however, it’s unclear if Dioniso fits that description. Temple could look to add another kicker to the rotation from an FCS school that is playing this spring. The Owls went the FCS route when they brought in Jacob LaFree as a grad transfer via the University of Indianapolis in Carey’s first season. That move did not happen until the summer of that offseason.
Who will step up to fill the leadership void?
The easy answer here is Perez, Amir Tyler, David Martin-Robinson and George Reid, four players who have been guests on The Scoop and have expressed their willingness to lead the program going forward.
Interestingly enough, Perez passed along Gill’s name as someone who has already taken on a leadership role. Gill has been named to the leadership council, despite only being with the program since January.
Names that have also been thrown out there are Klein, Blue and Jones, as well as Will Kwenkeu.
Without calling out their former teammates, it seemed pretty evident to Perez, Tyler, Martin-Robinson and Reid that not everyone was bought into the program last season. A majority of those players have since left for the transfer portal, but they did have a huge footprint on the team from a leadership standpoint due to their seniority and status.
When speaking with OwlScoop.com, Kobe Wilson was pretty straightforward in saying that Temple needs players who want to lead, and that includes himself. Wilson played as a true freshman and is technically still listed as one on the roster thanks to the extra year of eligibility granted to all players due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he feels that he and a portion of his recruiting class are ready to step up as leaders at this junction in time.
With a mix of old and new, Temple is going to need players to have their voices heard in the locker room while also leading by example.