The first aftershocks coming out of Stan Drayton’s inaugural spring practice at Temple are starting to be felt and it should not be surprising.

Drayton said several times early in the process that “nobody has taken a leadership role” at the wide receiver position and “that is something that needs to happen.”

Translation: It didn’t happen so Drayton is making it happen.

Drayton is bringing in Michigan State’s Ian Stewart and Georgia Tech’s Adonicas Sanders at least one of them looks like a leader, if not both.

Sanders appears to be that guy.

A lot of the Duke players are still seeing Sanders’ game-winning catch against them in their nightmares and, if he does it again in the opener for a Temple win, that’s the kind of deja vu Owl fans would love to see.

As far Power 5 players transferring to Temple, the Owls haven’t seen this kind of productivity on the big stage in North Philadelphia since pre-season ACC Player of the Year (as chosen by that conference’s media), Montel Harris, arrived exactly 10 years ago. Then Temple coach Steve Addazio was looking to make a big splash because star running back Bernard Pierce left for the NFL draft, where he was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round.

Harris delivered, rushing for over 1,000 yards that season, including a Temple-record 351 yards in a 63-32 win at Army.

Now Drayton is facing a similar leadership hole as Jadan Blue has left for Virginia Tech and Randle Jones embarks on a pro career soon.

Sanders’ P5 numbers aren’t quite as good as Montel’s but he has 14 Power 5 starts and caught 29 passes last year for 362 yards and three touchdowns. Pretty comparable to the 36 catches for the exact same amount of yards (362) it took current teammate Amad Anderson to compile in three years at Purdue.

So the Owls have a couple of guys, if both start, have produced during games in the ACC and Big 10. Add Stewart in the mix to a reliable holdover like Jose Barbon and the Owls are starting to build some depth for whomever the starting quarterback turns out to be.

Speaking of that, Sanders attended Charleston’s Burke High School in South Carolina. Matt Duncan, a backup quarterback at Temple who recently told Drayton he was entering the portal, is from Summerville, S.C.

One of the Owls’ rumored quarterback targets is Pitt transfer portal guy Davis Beville, who is from Greenville, S.C.

Maybe the South Carolina guys know something Temple fans will find out about soon.

Either way, whoever wins the Temple quarterbacking job will be inheriting a sure-handed group thanks to Drayton being proactive.

Friday: Networking