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Warner, Jordan and Varner earn AAC postseason honors

The American Athletic Conference announced its postseason awards Wednesday, and three Temple football players - defensive lineman Darian Varner, linebacker Layton Jordan and quarterback E.J. Warner - were honored by the league.

While Warner was not selected to the all-conference team, the true freshman quarterback was awarded the honor of AAC Rookie of The Year. Warner is the first Temple player to receive the award from the American.

Warner finished the year with 3,028 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He set Temple single-game records with 527 passing yards and 45 completions in the Owls’ 49-46 loss to ECU four days ago in the season finale.

“I was just so grateful to be a part of this program and come and try and build up Temple,” Warner said after Saturday’s game. “I’m just excited to be a part of it and can’t wait to keep getting to work and getting better and hopefully, in the next few years, win a couple more games.

Varner was selected to the All-AAC First Team. The 6-foot-2, 260-pound sophomore’s season came to an early end prior to the Cincinnati game because of a foot injury, but he still finished with 7.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

“He’s gonna be getting his foot repaired this offseason,” Temple head coach Stan Drayton said earlier this month. “We’re just gonna keep him on the sideline with the team the rest of the year, but we’re very optimistic about his recovery and getting back to full speed next year.”

Jordan was selected to the All-AAC Second Team after finishing the season with a team-high nine sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss to go with two pick sixes and three forced fumbles. The redshirt junior has one more season of college eligibility left and would be a significant piece for defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot’s unit should Jordan return next season.

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