Scott Pachan could fill an area of need for Temple

Don’t go shopping at Target with Temple head coach Rod Carey.

If you both need batteries and milk, he might skip those sections and head right for the toys.

At least that’s how it looks headed toward this second signing day next Wednesday. Temple football doesn’t have a whole lot to spend in terms of scholarship currency but does have a couple of specific needs this cycle.

Michael Maietti

Defensive end, because the guy they believed in enough to recruit out of Randallstown, Md., and developed into an NFL talent, Quincy Roche, decided to leave for the same bad guys who the Owls will face in the opener (Miami). Center because Matt Hennessy left for the NFL despite some pro scouts advising him to stay another year at Temple.

Those are the breaks. Tough ones, sure, but needs that could be ameliorated by grabbing a couple of talented guys in the portal. Temple needs a ready-made center and a ready-made defensive end and, ironically, Miami has a defensive end they could use still in the portal named Scott Patchan. He entered the portal when Roche arrived in Coral Gables.

In another ironic twist, there is a center in the portal named Michael Maietti who, like Hennessy, is a Don Bosco (N.J.) prep product. Maietti, like Hennessy, was on the Rimington watch list as the best center in the country. I’ve got to believe Carey’s staff is aware of these guys and they deserve to be pursued hard. Maietti might have seen what Temple did for Hennessy and think he could benefit as well. Just a wild thought. Pachan might be a motivated guy come opening day.

Chances are neither players are as good as the ones they will replace but the same chances exist they are better than the current options. Is there a chance Temple gets them? Who knows? Is Temple even trying? Show these guys some love.

Those are the main needs Temple has this recruiting cycle. What have we seen so far? Carey adding a quarterback (he already recruited one in December) to a deep quarterback room that includes Anthony Russo, Trad Beatty, and Kennique Bonner-Steward.

It’s never good when you head to the store with a couple of items in mind and, when you come back home, you realize you’ve neglected to get both.

Let’s hope Carey is on the case.

Monday: Spring Practice Not All That Far Away