Temple offensive coordinator Tyler Walker spoke with reporters for the first time since his hiring following practice Thursday, the Owls’ second of the spring. The Ohio native discussed his plans for the offense and the quarterback room and how it’s been working with new Temple coach K.C. Keeler since January.

“[Keeler’s] awesome to work with,” Walker said. “He hired us for a reason. He listens to us and he’s got a track record. He’s won a lot of football games, Having the opportunity to work with him and learn stuff from him has been awesome. It’s been a really easy transition so far and [I’m] looking forward to keep going.”

You can listen to Walker’s entire press conference here.

Running the ball

Walker’s offense rushed for 4,897 yards last season at Montana State. The potent rushing offense was the main form of attack within a multiple-option offense, which helped the Bobcats reach the FCS Championship game.

Now at Temple, Walked hopes to bring over that rushing offense philosophy but he also wants to have the deep ball threat as well.

“We’re going to run the football,” Walked said. “We’re a multiple offense. We’re going to run the football, we’re going to find different ways, formations, motions or shifts to create an advantage in the run game. Obviously, we’re a modern day option-based football team. The complexity is going to be in the presentation. You’re going to see a lot of movement.”

Competitive quarterback room

A crucial part of Walker’s offense at Montana State was quarterback Tommy Mellott’s ability to run the football, which resulted in the Walker Payton Award winner rushing for 1,050 yards last season.

While current Temple quarterback Evan Simon might not be the most mobile quarterback, he is more mobile than given credit for and Walker has been impressed with his ability to extend plays during his short time watching him play.

“[Simon] has the ability to do some things,” Walker said. “The good thing about our offense is the flexibility. We’re going to figure out what our players do good. In Evan’s case, he has the ability to extend plays. Is he going to extend plays to the ability that quarterbacks have in this past system? Maybe not. But he doesn’t have to do that. The system is fluid enough to adjust to the skillset of the quarterbacks.”

In an offense that often relies on the quarterback to be mobile, agile and extend plays, it’s fair to assume that redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyler Douglas has a real chance to thrive in the Walker offense and possibly grab the starting spot.

Douglas practiced on Tuesday but was a limited participant, as he had a brace on his right throwing arm. After practice Walker assured that the brace was a precautionary measure and that he will be fine going forward. In the minuscule time that Walker has watched Douglas play, he’s been impressed with a lot of what the New Jersey product has put out there.

“He’s mobile, he has moxie, he throws the ball well,” Walker said. “He’s got a good feel in the pocket. He extends plays, he’s smart. There are some things that he can do. I’m looking forward to getting him out there and seeing what he can do.”

Overall, Walker hasn’t had a lot of time to work with the quarterback room but he has been impressed with what he has seen so far. While he’s liked what he’s seen, that doesn’t mean they won’t be looking to add a new quarterback in the portal, and Walker said that is something the team would look into as the next transfer portal window approaches next month.