Washington State transfer Will Rodgers feels Temple is the 'right place'
Will Rodgers has found himself on the other side of the country.
The Washington State transfer labeled Temple defensive line coach Walter Stewart as someone who played a significant factor in his recruiting and why he ultimately ended up at Temple.
“He sold me a great pitch and here I am,” Rodgers said during Temple’s media availability Thursday. “I love it.”
“He’s such a player’s coach,” Rodgers added. “Just a straight-up guy who’ll give it to you straight. You feel like you can trust him. I feel like he truly has my best interest at heart and I’m gonna go out there and play for him.”
Rodgers, a 19-game starter for the Cougars over the past two seasons, elected to enter the transfer portal in mid-November. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound defensive end was pretty open with his recruitment. He just wanted to feel what would be the best situation for him on and off the field mentally, he said.
That wound up being Temple.
“I feel like Temple’s the right place that I need to be,” Rodgers said. “I’m looking forward to playing here.”
The Owls targeted Rodgers, a proven starter with Power 5 experience, to replace Arnold Ebiketie’s presence off the edge. As the team did the offseason prior with Manny Walker, Temple brought in an experienced pass-rusher to help replace the production it lost.
Ebiketie’s departure to Penn State via the transfer portal came as a surprise to many who envisioned he had a chance to become a first-team all-conference selection in 2021.
The former Owls edge rusher was named second-team All-American Athletic Conference following his breakout 2020 campaign. He led the Owls in tackles for loss (8.5), sacks (4) and forced fumbles (3). In addition, Ebiketie recorded 22 pressures across 142 pass-rush snaps, recording an 88.3 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus.
Rodgers won’t be Temple’s only answer to replacing Ebiketie. Walker is returning for his sixth year of eligibility, with Evan Boozer and Layton Jordan also in the mix. In addition, Travon King, Tyreke Young and Jacoby Sharpe have all returned since opting out of the 2020 season.
“I’m always trying to evolve as a player,” Rodger said. "I’m always trying to build and keep getting better at everything I’m doing. Try to help the team any way I can, wherever we need. I feel like if I can just play my role, just playing my role is the biggest thing. I don’t want to be Superman. I just want to come and do my job out there.”
During his session with reporters, Rodgers didn’t want to harp on why he decided to leave Washington State. He’d rather keep pushing on and focus on his new opportunity with the Owls, which he’s excited about, he said.
Playing in 34 games across four seasons in Pullman, Rodgers recorded 53 total tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks.
Rodgers played in two games last season before entering the transfer portal. He recorded two tackles in Washington State’s season-opening 38-28 win over Oregon State. After his team’s 43-29 loss at the hands of Oregon, Rodgers tweeted a peace sign emoji.
He entered the portal just days later.