SportsDesk

Temple Football 2018 Recruiting Update

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Wednesday was a big day on the recruiting trail for new head coach Geoff Collins and his staff. The day saw three separate 3-Star recruits commit to Temple, each becoming a member of the 2018 Temple recruiting class that has been gaining momentum ahead of Collins’ inaugural season.

Here is the breakdown of the three June 20th signees.

Trad Beatty, QB

The most notable commitment of the day was of one Trad Beatty. The 6-5 200lb southpaw quarterback out of Ben Lippen School in Columbia South Carolina becomes the first QB commitment of the 2018 Owls recruiting class.

Beatty is listed as a dual threat quarterback by 247sports, and is listed as a three star recruit. Beatty was an all-state selection in his junior season, and ran an impressive 4.62 40-yard dash, showing how he can do it with his legs, as well as his arm.

Beatty received offers from 16 other schools most notably from Mississippi State, and NC State. He also had offers from Western Kentucky, and Harvard.

After the graduation of Phillip Walker, the four year starter who could also make plays with his arm, as well as his feet, the Owls are in search of a new starting quarterback. Logan Marchi,  Anthony Russo, and Todd Centeio all factor to be in the race throughout the remainder of the offseason. Beatty will look to join the race when he arrives on North Broad Street for the 2018 season.

Kyle Dobbins, RB

The second offensive commitment of the day came in the form of Kyle Dobbins out of St. Augustine Preparatory School in Richland, New Jersey. The 5-10 188lb running back rushed for 1,282 yards in his junior season, along with 17 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.

Those numbers come after a sophomore season in which he ran for 1,613 yards, for an impressive 161.3 yards per game, and 19 touchdowns, according to MaxPreps.

Including Temple, Dobbins had offers from eight schools, including Boston College, Army, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Rutgers, and Northwestern, according to 247sports.

Dobbins will join a stacked running back corps in 2018 even with the departure of record-breaking running back Jahad Thomas. The backfield includes former 4-star recruit

 Ryquell Armstead, who rushed for over 900 yards last season, David Hood, and Jager Gardner. Dobbins will look to compete from the start as a freshman, and earn meaningful snaps.

 

Jayde Pierre, DT

To round out the day Temple added a commitment from 2018 DT Jayde Pierre, out of Dominion in Sterling, Virginia. The 6-0 195lb defensive tackle had nine other offers including, Rutgers, Virginia, Arizona, and Purdue.

 Pierre becomes the first interior defensive line recruit of the 2018 class, under former Florida defensive coordinator, and now Temple Head Coach Geoff Collins.

Pierre will look to have an impact on a solid defensive line that helped propel the Owls to a top ten total defense ranking in 2016.

The Owls 2018 recruiting class now stands at 11 players. They include:

 

Name Position School State
Amir Gillis ATH Simon Gratz PA
Ronnie Stevenson WR Montour Pa
Daesean WInston OLB Arch Spalding MD
Elijah Clark CB Sayreville War M

emorial

 NJ
Antonio Colclough WDE Cardinal Hayes NY
Chauncey Moore S Friendship Academy DC
Jean Paul Rodriguez OT Lakewood NJ

 
Christian Barmore OG Neumann Goretti PA

With the recent success of the program, including back to back bowl appearances, AAC championship game appearances, and the 2016 AAC championship victory, Temple is gaining momentum on the field, and on the recruiting trail.

 

 

Rose a Stand Out at USA Men’s U19 World Cup Team Training Camp

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Credit: David Maialett

Quinton Rose was a stand out early this past season. In a four game stretch from November 20th to the 25th Rose a averaged 16.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 2.8 assists per game. This was topped off by a huge 26 point explosion against a ranked Florida State team.

From there on out, Rose was fairly inconsistent. He was only able to eclipse 15 points in 2 of the following 25 games. On the season, Rose averaged 9.7 points per game, 3.8 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game. Obviously, none of these number jump off the page at you, but they are solid none the less. His efforts were also good enough to land him a sport on the American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team. Additionally, you got a glimpse of how great Rose could be in the future.

Apparently, so did the USA Mens U-19 Team. They recently offered Rose a spot of the World Cup Team for their training camp. The team is loaded with young talent like Marques Bolden of Duke, Hamidou Diallo of Kentucky, and highly rated incoming recruits like Bol Bol (son of Manute Bol) and Trae Young.The coach of the team will be Kentucky’s coach John Calipiri.

So, far so good. Rose has been tearing it up in practices. As of now he looks like he’s one of the stand outs of the group and many experts agree.

Other spectators have said the Rose is one of the most consistent players there thus far. With his combination of size (6’8, 190lbs) and speed Rose has a real chance of climbing in the 2018 draft.

Hopefully, Rose will return with even more refined skills and bring the Owls back to the NCAA Tournament.

 

WATCH: Brian Roche Has The Latest In This Year’s Final SportsDesk Segment

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Looking for energy? You got it here in the final edition of the SportsDesk for the 2016-2017 school year. In his debut, Brian Roche recaps the three Temple selections in the 2017 NFL Draft, as well as the six others who went on to sign unrestricted free agent deals with NFL teams. You won’t want to miss the SportsDesk’s top 5 athletes of the year, and much more. Make sure to keep with the SportDesk all summer for lots of football coverage here on TempleUpdate.com, and on Twitter at @TU_SportsDesk.

 

Report: Former Temple Wide Receiver Arrested at Miami Music Festival

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Former Temple Owl Robby Anderson during his time playing for Temple.

New York Jets and former Temple wide receiver Robby Anderson was arrested in Miami Sunday, according to a police report.

The report said Anderson is being charged with a felony count of resisting arrest with violence and obstruction of justice.

It happened at the Rolling Loud Music Festival in Miami over the weekend.

According to the report, Anderson was asked to leave the music festival Sunday around 6 p.m. He refused, and allegedly fought a security guard. The report, in part, says Anderson “tensed his body and pushed” an officer.

Anderson joined the Jets as an undrafted free agent before the start of last season. He started eight games for the team last season.

The former Temple wide receiver proved to be an important piece of the Jets offense his rookie season, catching 42 passes for 587 yards and two touchdowns.

Local Youngster Trains with Former NFL Player

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David “D-Magic” Macon is on his way to being a football star. The only problem is, he may have to wait a couple of years to become a football great like Tom Brady or Joe Montana. That’s because D-Magic is only eleven-years-old.

Nicknamed “D-Magic” for his blazing speed yet humble demeanor, he lets his work ethic tell the story.

“Twice a week, I go to track, three times a week. I might have track meets on the weekends. And in the football season, I’ll have practice and games,” says David.

Former NFL cornerback Brandon Bing trains David, along with other young Philadelphia-area athletes, to cultivate their potential. Bing is impressed with what he has seen so far in David.

“As far as Magic, we started sessions inside, and he started showing up,” says Bing. “We worked something out. We were going about 2 to 3 times a week for like two months. We just saw the improvement. He’s a player who I’ve seen get consistently better but, naturally had that, so I said I got to work with him. So we started going 2-3 months straight and we just started picking it back up. Yeah, I think he’ll be great once he starts to get the details down.”

During the bi-weekly training, Bing tests David’s agility with drills that any professional football player would take part in. David’s football coach, Maquis Merricks, says that David is improving because of his work with Bing.

“It’s great that he’s with Bing,” Merricks says. “He’s learning D-Back drills, wide receiver drills, he’s getting his footwork. Incredible. His catching has gone up. His hand-eye coordination has gone up. His work off season has taken him to a whole other level.”

It is easy to see why David’s father, Ford Howard, has high hopes for his son.

“As a dad, I really want him to go to a good high school to display his talents with. And you know, I want to think short-term. He’s in the 5th grade right now. I want to think National Championship 2017 and getting into a good high school,” says Howard.

David’s goals include wanting to get into a good high school where he can continue to hone his skills so he can get into a reputable college. If he were to play a game with any professional football player, it would be Julio Jones. David plans to continue working so he can have a career in the NFL.

New Owls in the NFL

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The last of three Owls was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts Nate Hairston with the 158th pick.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes the former Temple defensive back as, “Hairston shows good awareness from zone and his physical style and willingness to come tackle make him an immediate fit for primarily zone cover teams.”

Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Dion Dawkins and Haason Reddick were also selected in the first two days of the draft. Dawkins landed with the Buffalo Bills in the second round and Reddick to the Arizona Cardinals in the first.

Aside from the drafted Owls, six former Temple football players have reached a contract with NFL teams. Both tight ends Romond Deloatch and Colin Thompson agreed to terms with the New York Giants.

Running back Jahad Thomas signed with Dallas. Defensive end Praise Martin-Oguike inked a deal with Miami. Linebacker Avery Williams is heading to the Houston Texans and quarterback Phillip Walker has signed with the Indianapolis Colts.

Credit: Zimbio

Walker reportedly had an offer to stay in Philadelphia and play with the Eagles, but he elected to take his talents to the Colts. It’s still unknown if he intends to switch positions at the next level, but for the time being it appears he will enter as a quarterback.

Nate Hairston Goes 158th to the Colts

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Former Temple cornerback Nate Hairston was taken in the fifth round of the NFL draft on Saturday afternoon by the Indianapolis Colts. Hairston was selected with the 158th overall pick.

Hairston becomes the third Temple player to be taken in this year’s draft following Haason Reddick, who was taken 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, and Dion Dawkins, who was taken 63rd overall by the Buffalo Bills.

With three players taken in the past three days, Temple ties its school record for most players taken in one draft. It has happened six other times, most notably a year ago when Tavon Young, Matt Ioannidis, and Tyler Matakevich were taken by their respective teams.

(Cred:// philly.com)

Hairston started all 13 games for the Owls this season, collecting two interceptions, and three pass breakups throughout the season. He also racked up 25 tackles, to help lead the #3 pass defense in the nation.

In total, Hairston played 43 games in a Temple uniform, with his first two seasons taking place on the offensive side of the football, as a wide receiver. In his two seasons as a defensive back, Hairston collected two interceptions, including a key interception in Temple’s victory over Navy in the AAC championship. He also totaled 40 tackles in two seasons, to go along with three tackles for loss, and six passes defended.

Hairston joins an Indianapolis Colts defense ranked 26th by Pro Football Focus in 2016. Hairston will look to make an immediate impact with a Colts secondary that also ranked 26th in the league in opposing passing yards per game, according to ESPN. Hairston’s physical style of play will translate well against NFL receivers.

Temple’s Haason Reddick Drafted 13th Overall By Arizona

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It was a night to remember for former walk-on Haason Reddick, who with the 13th pick of the 2017 NFL Draft was selected by the Arizona Cardinals. He’ll join former Temple coach Bruce Arians and a team who’s accrued 10 wins in three of the last four seasons. Reddick was the fourth ever Temple first-round pick, and his #13 selection is the second highest in program history.

This past season, the Camden native led the country in tackles for loss with 22.5, and his 10 sacks was second in the American Athletic Conference. With 46 tackles for loss in his career, that’s good enough for second all-time at both Temple and in the AAC.

As you can imagine Reddick was all smiles all night, starting with the pre-draft festivities on the iconic NFL Draft red carpet. Accompanied by his mother and father, he told OwlSportsUpdate’s Jared Phillips during his celebrity strut, “It’s great man, the environment, the feel, the crowd- when I came out it was beautiful and where we’re at right now is a beautiful thing.”
When Reddick was asked about if he expected all of this this when he came to Temple his response was special. “Someone told me a couple days ago that dreams do come true.”
He’s been living this dream now for the past couple of weeks. Guest appearing on shows on NFL Network, ESPN and FoxSports to name a few, he has been elevating his status before he was called to walk across the stage in his college city of Philadelphia. He also received “The Key to the City” of Camden in a ceremony on the Camden Battleship earlier this week- and just three days later, he shook NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s hand for a national audience to see.
Reddick is the highest former walk-on selected in the NFL Draft since 2011 when Detroit selected BYU’s Ziggy Ansah with the fifth pick. Other notable former walk-ons are Texans’ J.J. Watt and Packers’ Clay Matthews.
The full first round shaped out like this:
1. Cleveland Browns- Myles Garret, DE (Texas A&M)
2. Chicago Bears- Mitch Trubisky, QB (North Carolina)
3. San Francisco 49ers- Soloman Thomas, DE (Stanford)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars- Leonard Fournette, RB (LSU)
5. Tennessee Titans- Corey Davis, WR (Western Michigan)
6. New York Jets- Jamal Adams, DB (LSU)
7. San Diego Chargers- Mike Williams, WR (Clemson)
8. Carolina Panthers- Christian McCaffery, RB (Stanford)
9. Cincinnati Bengals- John Ross, WR (Washington)
10. Kansas City Chiefs- Pat Mahomes, QB (Texas Tech)
11. New Orleans Saints- Marshon Lattimore, DB (Ohio State)
12. Houston Texans- Deshaun Watson, QB (Clemson)
13. Arizona Cardinals- Haason Reddick, LB (Temple)
14. Philadelphia Eagles- Derek Barnett, DE (Tennessee)
15. Indianapolis Colts- Malik Hooker, DB (Ohio State)
16. Baltimore Ravens- Marlon Humphrey, CB (Alabama)
17. Washington Redskins- Jonathan Allen, DL (Alabama)
18. Tennessee Titans- Adoree Jackson, CB (USC)
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- OJ Howard, TE (Alabama)
20. Denver Broncos- Garett Bolles, OL (Utah)
21. Detroit Lions- Jarrad Davis, LB (Florida)
22. Miami Dolphins- Charles Harris, DL (Missouri)
23. New York Giants- Evan Engram, WR (Ole Miss)
24. Oakland Raiders- Gareon Conley, DB (Ohio State)
25. Cleveland Browns- Jabrill Peppers, DB/LB (Michigan)
26. Atlanta Falcons- Takkarist McKinley DL (UCLA)
27. Buffalo Bills- Tre’Davious White, DB (LSU)
28. Dallas Cowboys- Taco Charlton, DL (Michigan)
29. Cleveland Browns- David Njoku, TE (Miami)
30. Pittsburgh Steelers- T.J Watt, DL (Wisconsin)
31. San Francisco 49ers- Reuben Foster, LB (Alabama)
32. New Orleans Saints- Ryan Ramczyk, OL (Wisconsin)

The SportDesk’s 3 Breakout Stars On Defense

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Since, I wrote an article on the potential offensive breakout candidates, I figured why not make one for the defense? I mean, as the old saying goes “Offensive wins games, but defense wins championships.” Truer words have never been spoken about the Temple Football team. The Owls pride themselves on the defensive side of the ball and used it to propel them to their first AAC Championship in the 32016 season. So, let’s see what three players are going to break out, and help Temple compete for another ring.

Mike Jones, CB – 5’11, 187lbs

Credit: Temple News

By far the easiest selection of this list. Jones is already an established college football among the eyes of NFL scouts. Actually, he was projected to be a late draft pick if he entered the draft this year. Instead, the graduate-transfer from North Carolina Central decided to take his talents to North Philadelphia. Jones brings with him massive amount of career achievements such as All-MEAC First Team for both cornerback and return specialist on two separate occasions. As for Jones as a player he’s extremely well rounded. He attacks the run like a linebacker, flashes fluid hips in pass coverage and isn’t afraid to attack the ball when it’s in the air. In his career at North Carolina Central he amassed 114 tackles, 36 pass breakups, and 11 interceptions. Jones is going to flourish from having Geoff Collins as his coach. During his time at Florida, he helped create one of the best pass defense’s in the nation that ranked 2nd in passing yards allowed per game. Temple ranked 3rd. Jones is going to be the Owls #1 corner this fall and see his draft stock skyrocket.

2017-18 Stat Projections – 28 tackles, 8 passes defended, 3 interceptions

 

Delvon Randall, SS – 5’11, 208

Maybe this isn’t boldest selection because Randall had a good season this past year. Actually, one could go as far as saying he was one of the best defenders on the Owls. Last season he tallied 65 tackles and 4 interceptions. So, I guess you’re wondering why I picked him then, huh? Well, that’s because I think he’s just going to get better. A lot better. You got to love the way Delvon Randall plays ball. He’s a hard-hitting safety who can also drop back in coverage and flash serious ball-hawk skills. The former three-star prospect snatched the starting gig last spring and hasn’t looked back. He’s already made a big enough impact on Coach Geoff Collins to earn him an illustrious single-digit jersey number. With Hasson Reddick and other defensive starters gone Randall needs to be the a leader on Temple’s defensive and the jersey is proof he is becoming just that. Along, with my regular stat projections I’m going to make another bold statement. By the end of this season, Delvon Randall will burst onto the national scene and emerge as a top-5 safety in college football. Boom.

2017-18 Stat Projections – 72 tackles, 12 passes defended, 6 interceptions

 

William Kwenkeu, OLB – 6’1, 205

Credit: Zimbio

William Kwenkeu is one of my favorite players on this list hands down. The dude is an athletic freak. In high school, Kwenkeu was an awesome running back. I’d go as far to say that if he stayed at running back through his college career he would be seriously challenging Owls starting running back Ryquell Armstead, but instead he’s an outside linebacker. Kwenkeu uses his speed and his nonstop motor to harass his opponents. This past season, he was a stand out on special teams and he played valuable minutes on defense. Kwenkeu finished the year with 14 tackles, 1 tackle for loss and 1 fumble recovery which came against Memphis in a crucial point in the game. During the spring game, he was all over the field chasing down running backs, quarterbacks and wide receivers. I believe that this year Kwenkeu will emerge as one of the team’s top linebackers. Who knows? In a few years time, we may be saying William Kwenku’s name in the same sentence as the likes of Tyler Matakevich and Haason Reddick.

 

2017-18 Stat Projections – 65 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 3 sacks

Athletes Help Athletes During Temple Fun Day

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On Sunday, April 23, Temple University hosted its inaugural Fun Day with the help of an organization called Athletes Helping Athletes.

Athletes Helping Athletes’ main goal is to better the lives of special needs athletes, by providing opportunities for athletes and coaches of all abilities to come together while sharing athletic experiences and a love of sports.

During the event, individuals of all ages were paired with Temple athletes from the football, soccer, and basketball teams. Different stations were provided around the field, giving participants the chance to experience the games with their favorite college players. With the success of Fun Day, the organization hopes to hold more events like this in the coming semesters.