Transfer portal brings Owls Florida RB Iverson Clement, UNC's Turay, Gill
Temple has secured the verbal commitments of three Power 5 transfers over the past week in North Carolina defensive lineman Lancine Turay and Xach Gill and, most recently, Florida running back Iverson Clement, who issued his verbal pledge to the Owls Friday night.
Following the early signing day period last month, Temple head coach Rod Carey said running back and defensive tackle would be positions of priority for the Owls in the transfer portal. With the February signing period approaching, Temple has been aggressive in trying to replace the losses it incurred.
The Owls have now added three defensive lineman and two running backs to help mitigate losses.
Back on Dec. 16, Temple announced the additions of Washington State DL Willie Rodgers III and Illinois RB Ra’Von Bonner. This week’s additions are a direct result of the losses of players such as Arnold Ebiketie (Penn State), Ifeanyi Maijeh (Rutgers), Khris Banks (Boston College) and Re’Mahn Davis (Vanderbilt), who all used the NCAA’s one-time transfer waiver to their advantage in the age of COVID-19.
Turay officially entered the transfer portal on Tuesday morning and locked in his commitment to Temple that evening. Standing at 6-foot-6, 280-pounds, Turay will likely play defensive tackle for the Owls.
It’s a bit of a homecoming for the Irvington, New Jersey native, who has four years of eligibility remaining. He is the younger brother of former Rutgers standout and current Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Kemoko Turay.
Turay will be joined by his fellow UNC teammate in Gill, who announced his commitment via Twitter on Friday night. Gill is a former 4-star prospect from North Carolina’s Wake Forest High School, choosing the Tar Heels over several Power 5 offers, which included Miami, Penn State, Pitt and Virginia Tech. Gill will have two years of eligibility remaining.
During his time at North Carolina, Gill recorded 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. This past season, Gill saw his role diminish with the arrival of 4-star prospect Myles Murphy to the fold. Though, in 2019, Gill played 137 defensive snaps, grading out as the Tar Heels’ third-best IDL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Last but certainly not least is Clement, who also pledged his commitment to the Owls on Friday. The former 4-star prospect will have three seasons of eligibility remaining as he returns closer to home.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Clement was considered an athlete coming out of Mount Holly’s Rancocas Valley. He replaced former Temple standout and current Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Shaun Bradley in the backfield for the Red Devils.
At the time of his commitment to Florida, Clement chose the Gators over offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and Baylor. In Florida’s backfield, Clement saw limited playing time. As a redshirt sophomore in 2020, he had just five carries for 29 yards. For his career in Gainesville, Clement had a total of 94 yards on 12 carries, with a long run of 41 yards coming during his redshirt freshman campaign.
It’s likely he’ll see an increased role in Temple’s backfield while splitting time with Bonner and Tayvon Ruley.