Temple set for busy National Signing Day

A lot has changed with Temple’s roster since the early signing period in December. In addition to the 11 midyear transfers Stan Drayton and his staff have added since then, the Owls are also expected to sign at least eight more players on Wednesday, OwlScoop.com has learned.

A Salisbury, Maryland native, Terrez Worthy won the Big 33 Maryland MVP award in 2022 and followed that up with an impressive junior college career at Lackawanna College in Scranton. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Worthy rushed for 1,492 yards in 2023 en route to First Team All American honors. Worthy, who led the NJCAA in rushing, had 10 rushing touchdowns and eight 100-yard games while averaging 7.3 yards per carry. Worthy, who had a 342-yard, 3-touchdown game against Nassau in September, chose Temple over offers from UTSA and Coastal Carolina.

Worthy joins a Temple running back class that also includes JUCO back Tyrei Washington and Maryland transfer Antwain Littleton. The Owls had another need at running back after Darvon Hubbard entered the portal last month.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver from Florida’s Lakeland High School, Jamar Taylor Jr. visited Temple in January and chose the Owls over offers from Colorado, Pitt, UCF and West Virginia. The son of former USF running back Jamar Taylor, the younger Taylor caught 40 passes for 579 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Taylor joins a Temple wideout class that includes fellow three-star Florida wideout Bryson Goodwin, Georgia prep prospect Tyler Stewart and Grambling State transfer Antonio Jones. Temple’s receivers will be led by a different face this year, as Drayton moved on from Jafar Williams in the offseason and hired Grambling State wide receivers coach Tyron Carrier in his place.

The son of Detroit Lions defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, Tyree Alualu committed to Temple last month over offers from Oregon, Cincinnati, San Diego State and James Madison. The younger Alualu, who projects as a linebacker at the next level, rushed for 793 yards and 15 touchdowns this season while also recording 49 tackles and six TFL. He forced two fumbles on defense in North Alleghney’s WPIAL Final win over Central Catholic.

Alualu is one of a number of linebackers who signed with Temple as the Owls look to replace Jordan Magee, Yvandy Rigby and Jacob Hollins. In addition to Alualu, Temple added Georgia high schooler Wesley Brown, East Carolina transfer Tyquan King, North Carolina state transfer Torren Wright and junior college prospects Katin Suprenant, Tyler Lepolo and Eric Stuart to its linebacking corps.

A former Navy commit, Cedar Grove (GA) linebacker Wesley Brown visited Temple last month and eventually committed to the Owls over offers from schools like Air Force and Akron. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Brown led Cedar Grove with 104 tackles this season while also recording 13 tackles for a loss, six sacks and an interception in the process. Brown’s Cedar Grove team won the GHSA 3A state title.

Brown joins the deep linebacking class mentioned above.

In a rare move, Pope John XXIII quarterback Chris Dietrich recommitted to Temple after decommitting late last year. Dietrich, who originally was the founding member of Temple’s 2024 class, threw for 1,605 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Dietrich helped lead Pope John XXIII to a 7-4 record, which was the program’s first winning season since 2017. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Dietrich earned First Team All Division honors along the way.

Dietrich joins a quarterback class that includes two transfers in former Rutgers quarterback Evan Simon, who signed with the program in the early signing period, and Montana transfer Clifton McDowell, who visited and committed to Temple last month.

Russell Sykes, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman from North Carolina's Rolesville High School, garnered an offer from Temple in January and committed shortly after. The all-conference lineman recorded 63 tackles and 12 TFL for Rolesville this season. Sykes chose Temple over an offer from Navy and FCS programs like Jackson State, Hampton and Morgan State.

Sykes is joined in Temple’s defensive line class by fellow high schoolers Sultan Badmus and Cam Jones, both of whom signed with Temple in the early signing period, junior college prospects Dimonyai Lacey and Sekou Kromah, and transfers Cam’Ron Stewart (Rutgers) and Jason Moore (Georgia Tech).

Temple is hoping to strike gold with Morristown High School offensive lineman Giakoby Hills, who announced his verbal commitment to the Owls Tuesday night. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Hills earned Morristown’s Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Special Teams Player of the Year honors this season after starting at offensive tackle on offense, recording 84 tackles and 14 TFL on defense, and blocking four field goals on special teams. Despite this versatility, Hills is expected to be an offensive lineman at the next level.

Hills, who was named an All-Group 5 selection by NJ.com, joins a Temple offensive line class that features South Carolina transfer Grayson Mains, junior college transfers Linus Lindberg and Mausa Palu, and high school prospects Evan Dailey and Davray Venu.

Although listed by Rivals as a defensive tackle, Davray Venu, a 6-foot-5, 295-pound prospect from Montreal’s John Abbott College, is expected to start his Temple career on the offensive line. Venu, who received heavy interest from the previous Syracuse staff, was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Canada by CFC Scouting.

Venu joins the offensive line class mentioned above.

Notes: The Owls are also still in the running to sign JUCO wideout Leland Smith, who is expected to decide between Temple, Purdue, Miami and Mississippi State on Wednesday.

For a full list of incoming transfers, including those that were announced in December with the early signing period, click here: Temple Transfer Tracker.