As the spring transfer window prepared to open, most of Temple’s needs centered around quarterback and the skill positions.
However, head coach K.C. Keeler and his staff made an under-the-radar addition that could pay dividends for the Owls this season.
Long snapper Isaiah Hayse was brought in from NAIA Indiana Wesleyan to shore up the special teams units. The Owls’ long snapper from last year, Andrew McIlquham, transferred to UNLV and the room in spring practice consisted of just Brylan Noonan and Conlan Greene. Noonan left the program on April 17 as a graduate transfer and Greene lacks experience, considering he’s a converted defensive lineman.
So with the lack of depth and experience at long snapper, Hayse, a Danville, Indiana native, joined the fold on April 15 and will now compete with Greene for reps on special teams.
“With Coach Keeler coming in, it sounds like the program is really turning around and it's gonna be a great season,” Hayse told OwlScoop, “so it's been a great time. My official visit, everyone talking and being personal and everything like that, really made the decision a whole lot easier.”
Hayse took an official visit to Temple on April 13 and 14 just before he committed and was impressed with the size of the campus and the facilities Temple offered. He talked the decision over with his family before committing the next day.
Since NAIA does not have a transfer portal, Hayse announced that he had an open recruitment for his graduate season. One of the first coaches to reach out was Temple special teams analyst John Fisher. Hayse and Fisher connected well and Fisher was Hayse’s main recruiter and ultimately instrumental in his decision to commit to Temple.
“He texted me a couple days after I announced my open recruitment for my grad year and he just started texting in December,” Hayse explained, “asking for film, asking how I was working out and doing stuff like that and keeping up with me the entire time. Our relationship is real good. We have gotten to know each other over these last couple months of the recruiting process and it's been really good.”
Hayse drew interest from mostly Division II schools while his recruitment was open, also picking up an offer from Tiffin University in Ohio, but a lot of Division II coaches he talked to wanted him to enroll in January, which Hayse was not interested in, so his recruitment thinned. Temple had wanted a mid-year guy but was willing to stay connected with him if something happened in the spring, he said, which ended up working out for both sides.
Along with making Hayse feel comfortable at Temple, the coaching staff made sure another person in Hayse’s life was on board with the move.
Hayse is set to get married to his longtime girlfriend, Ailee Semple, in June in Greenwood, Indiana, and one of his major concerns about transferring was making sure she was on board.
Temple, Hayse said, assisted Semple with her job search process and helped her feel as comfortable as possible.
It made the decision to sign with the Owls much easier for Hayse.
“That was a big thing, why it was so helpful when talking to Temple, because they took care of her so much and wanted the best for her,” Hayse said. “So that was my big thing and moving to a huge city, so making her feel comfortable, that was the whole thing with this plan. I'm just excited to attack Philadelphia with her.”
As a graduate student, this season will likely be Hayse’s last playing college football. After four years at Indiana Wesleyan, Hayse has finally achieved his dream of playing at the highest level of college football and is hoping to help Temple however he can while cherishing everything that happens.
“I think a goal is to soak it all in,” Hayse said. “Playing at the Division I level has been my dream since I was a little kid. So, just soaking it all in and doing as much as I can to help the team out. And in a niche position like long snapper, I want to be the best that I can be.”
Front page photo courtesy of Isaiah Hayse.
