Temple opened up its spring season Tuesday, giving media members a first look at the Owls’ roster heading into head coach K.C. Keeler’s first season at the helm. After 13 more practices, the second of which is Thursday afternoon, Keeler’s staff will know more about what decisions need to be made as the spring transfer portal window opens from April 16-25.

Keeler tabbed former Montana State offensive coordinator Tyler Walker to lead his offense, one that was in dire need of a shakeup after Temple’s fourth consecutive 3-9 season, but that unit wasn’t the only group in need of a facelift.

Keeler hired former Rice defensive coordinator Brian Smith for the same role in December in hopes of aiding a unit that gave up 35 points per game in 2024. The defensive line was a mixed bag and at the core of a team that allowed 227 rushing yards per game last season.

Here are some names to examine this spring.

The veteran in the room: Demerick Morris

The fresh face: Aaron Beckwith

The players with the most to prove: Cam’ron Stewart and Sultan Badmus

Temple saw a wave of players dip their toe into the transfer portal and find new homes after former head coach Stan Drayton was let go on Nov. 17. Demerick Morris was one of those players, seeking greener pastures in Stillwater, Oklahoma. He transferred to Oklahoma State, but his time as a Cowboy was short-lived. As OwlScoop.com first reported, he has returned to Temple for his final season of eligibility.

“Sometimes the grass isn't greener,” Keeler said after Tuesday’s practice when asked about Morris, “and it's a cautionary tale. So I think it's good. First of all, Demerick was a single digit, was a great player here, and really well respected, and just went somewhere. Wasn't the right fit.

As Keeler explained it, when Morris expressed interest in coming back, the veteran head coach asked his current defensive linemen about it.

“I put it on the leadership at the defensive line,” Keeler said. “I said, ‘If we don't want to take him back, we won't take him back.’ And they hesitated for a minute. And I said, let me put it to you this way. If we're going to take someone on the defensive line, we're not going to know them as well as we know Demerick. We also don't know what kind of player they are compared to what we know Demerick is. And also we know this kid loves Philly, and they're like, ‘Yeah, we should bring him back.’ So I actually put it on the leadership council of the defensive line. I have some pretty experienced guys there, and I think they were upset he left, because they felt like they had made a pact that they were gonna get this thing turned around. But then, after talking it through with them, I still left it to be their decision, and they were like, ‘Yeah, we need to bring him back.’”

For now, the return of Morris gives the line a veteran presence for a defense that lost its top five sack leaders, but the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Morris will once again be called upon to be gap sound, tackle and stop the run. After missing the first 10 games of the 2023 season, Morris tallied 13 tackles, a half sack and a fumble recovery in eight games last season as the injury bug continued to bite him while he was overshadowed by his counterparts like fellow single-digit Latrell Jean and Sekou Kromah. Morris’ best performance came in a five-tackle effort at Navy on Sept. 7, but he never achieved more than two tackles in a game for the rest of the season.

Still, when healthy, Morris gives the defense a boost and a veteran player entering his sixth season, albeit with his third head coach, as Morris first signed with Rod Carey and then played through Stan Drayton’s three seasons on North Broad Street.

Keeler has emphasized wanting a group that is focused on stopping the run, Temple’s Achilles’ heel for the last two seasons. Morris could help there, and so could transfer portal addition Aaron Beckwith.

While the UMass transfer is technically a fresh face, he joins the Owls as one of the most tenured players on the roster and, like Morris, is entering his sixth college season. The 6-4, 300-pound Beckwith had his best season at UMass in 2023 when he finished with 20 tackles. However, like Morris, he was also on the injury mend in 2024. He missed a whole month of the season and played just six games last fall, collecting 12 tackles.

Beckwith followed newly-hired linebackers coach Keith Dudzinski, who was his defensive coordinator in his time with the Minutemen. Beckwith will hope to replace Jean and add depth at a spot where Temple needs it.

When it comes to defensive ends and edge rushers, the picture there is a little more unclear. Temple’s top edge rushers from 2024, Diwun Black and Tra Thomas, are no longer on the team. Black put his name in the NFL Draft and Thomas entered the transfer portal where he eventually wound up at NC State with former Temple defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot.

As of right now, the first two choices to help replace the lost production of Black and Thomas are Cam’ron Stewart and Sultan Badmus.

Stewart was a starter while Black was on a four-game suspension to begin the year. The Rutgers transfer played solidly, logging starts against Navy and Coastal Carolina and chipping in two TFLs in Temple’s win over Utah State, but an injury at UConn cost him the second half of the season. He will have to stay healthy after playing just five games last season. If he can, the 6-5, 250-pound fifth-year player does give the Owls a player with some get-off ability on the edge.

Badmus, on the other hand, was one of the few players who wasn’t injured during the 2024 campaign. Without the benefit of a full offseason regimen, Badmus was the only true freshman on the roster to play in all 12 games. The 6-3, 265-pound Bowie High School product registered 10 tackles last season and was credited with a half sack in the Utah State win. After flashing last season, he is someone who could flash this spring and take a step forward under a new staff.