Working 9 to 5 gave Keyshawn Paul a new appreciation for football
Keyshawn Paul said the biggest difference between Temple and UConn is the family feel.
Paul decided to enter the transfer portal after the Huskies football program opted out of the 2020 season. Temple cornerbacks coach Melvin Rice jumped right on him.
Rice reached out to Paul every day checking up on him, treating him “like a normal person,” according to Paul. He said the relationship the two built played a significant role in bringing him to Temple.
“It felt more like a family, not just a business,” Paul added.
Before UConn departed from the American Athletic Conference in 2020, the redshirt junior had a chance to play against Temple during its 2019 conference schedule.
Paul said going up against players like Branden Mack, Jadan Blue and Randle Jones got him excited and motivated to have a big game on the stat sheet. Now he has the opportunity to line up across from Blue and Jones in practice.
Personnel isn’t the only difference between the two schools.
“The biggest difference is it’s a city. Over there, it’s just more trees,” Paul said of UConn. “The guys were competing there, but here it’s more like a family. Everything here is really a family in football. We pick each other up. Everything is just energy, that’s one thing I love about being here. We work hard for our brothers and nobody lets each other fall.”
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound cornerback can provide immediate help at that position alongside Freddie Johnson, Ty Mason, Elijah Clark and Jeremy Jennings.
Right now, everyone in the cornerback room is solely focused on pushing each other to get better. Nobody is worried about how the depth chart will shuffle out yet, according to Paul.
In 2019, Paul’s sophomore season and most recent window to see live reps, he played in all 12 games and made 36 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and one interception. His season-high seven tackles came in a 48-3 loss to then-unbeaten Cincinnati.
When UConn opted out of its season the following year due to the ongoing global pandemic, Paul found himself working a 9-to-5 job.
“When I was working that 9-to-5, it pushed me 10 times harder,” Paul said. “You see what it feels like to miss out on football and not be a part of it.”