QBs: The Best of The Rest

Some pretty good questions led to some funny (curious, not hah-hah) answers and one last week on the OwlsDaily.com message board was one that many Temple football fans are asking.

“Are the Owls still looking for a transfer portal quarterback?”

Had to laugh at the response, which was basically they are still looking for a quarterback but not going to take one just for the sake of taking one.

How is that different from what they did with the RU backup?

Since E.J. Warner left in December, the Owls let a lot of good quarterbacks get away to programs who are still perceived to be inferior or backup jobs at P5 schools. Two come to mind immediately: Reese Poffenbarger (from Albany to Miami) and General Booty from Oklahoma to UL-Monroe.

Sean Boyle is still one of the remaining uncommitted quarterbacks in the portal.

Yes, UL Freaking Monroe.

Both had the kind of background and accomplishments none of the current occupants of the QB room have at Temple.

As soon as Cam Ward was signed by Miami, the Temple coaches should have been all over Poffenbarger convincing him that a year as a starter at Temple was preferable over a year as a backup at Miami. Hell, if he really wanted to play for the Canes, he could have done that next year after Ward left for the NFL.

Seems to me to be a wasted year.

Sean Boyle warming up for West Virginia last year.

As far as Booty goes, the former Texas first-team all-state quarterback probably would have liked to have a shot at his former Oklahoma team on Aug. 30 instead of being sentenced to a year in Monroe, Louisiana. He would have not only been supremely motivated in Temple’s opener but might have brought the Sooner playbook with him and given it to Temple DC Everett Withers (assuming EW knows how to read it).

Water under the bridge now but the bridge to QB success still exists for Temple.

West Virginia’s Sean Boyle is available and, if that name sounds familiar to Owl fans, it should. Sean was a great offensive lineman for Al Golden and, while this Sean Boyle is not related, he brings an impressive background. He was an original Charlotte commit before flipping to West Virginia so he’s not adverse to playing in the AAC. He’s what the Owls need with an inexperienced OL, a guy who is able to make plays with his feet as well as his arm.

Other quarterbacks still in the portal include Oregon State’s Travis Throckmorton, Appalachian State’s Charles Wright and South Carolina’s Tanner Bailey.

All with better upsides than Evan Simon and Forrest Brock. This is not a question of who has the most NIL money. Almost all of the 130 teams have their starters by now but Temple’s biggest carrot is offering one of the few starting positions left and it is a buyer’s market for the Owls, not a seller’s one because this is desperation time for the players still remaining in the portal. Why Temple hasn’t been buying is a head-scratcher.

As far as quarterbacks go, Stan Drayton has fallen on the ball since Warner left and it would not be shocking if he didn’t pull the trigger on a portal guy now.

These guys are in the portal today but may be gone tomorrow. Time’s a wasting and why Drayton hasn’t jumped on one of these quarterbacks is a pretty good question.

There are no funny answers.

7 thoughts on “QBs: The Best of The Rest

  1. Another head scratcher is why hasn’t our illustrious AD stepped in to move on this (to say nothing of the DC situation)? I mean what the heck is really going on?

    • I asked Pat Kraft about Geoff Collins’ OC, Dave Patenaude and he agreed with me that he was terrible but said that the AD usually never gets involved in micro-managing the football program. He said once you hand it over to the HC, he is the CEO of that program and ultimately responsible for what happens inside the building. Unfortunately, when you take that point of view, you’ve got to wait until the contract runs out to make changes. I think Johnson probably is the same way.

      • I understand but when so much money is being thrown at a losing situation – especially the biggest and by far most expensive sport – somebody needs to step up (happens all the time in the business world and this sure is a business). Our AD hasn’t thought anything of firing and hiring new coaches in other sports – maybe their contracts were up, but c’mon. Bottom line, this crap isn’t good for The uni’s rep either.

  2. PS: “…got to wait until the contract runs out.” Well that’s another point about Temple’s propensity to throw money around. Why is a position coach handed a big money 5 year guaranteed contract? Want to take a chance? OK, but offer half that amount for 3 years and see what he can do. He would have jumped at it and this would be the deciding year. It all makes no sense.

  3. Better with a worse record. This could be Drayton’s best team talent wise. It also could be his worse season, won/loss.

    The OOC schedule is hard, the AAC teams have improved, and all early polls have TU at 2-10.

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