Category Archives: P.J. Walker

02.10.20
by

Russo could finish near top of all-time stat line

Despite an inordinate amount of what probably is underserved bashing on social media, the 2020 season could provide a clearer picture of Anthony Russo’s legacy as a Temple University quarterback.

People lie, but numbers don’t.

rhulerusso

I’ve got to think Anthony Russo would have thrived more under Matt Rhule’s pro-set offense than under Carey’s RPO-based one. Maybe in Carolina in a couple of years.

Because P.J. (I still call him P.J. because I think it rolls off the tongue better than Phillip) Walker had four years to what will be three years as a starter for Russo, some of these career records he set here will never be broken:

  • Most passing yards=10,669
  • Most touchdowns=74

Walker had a terrific debut for Houston in the XFL with four touchdown passes against only one interception there but the crazy thought here is that Russo will be a better pro passer than Walker simply because his game is built for the NFL style (pocket passing, not RPOs). Sure, places like Buffalo and Baltimore run a lot of RPOs but the NFL is still a pocket passing league and that’s the kind of game where Russo can excel. I love P.J. and he can also make all of the throws, but his downfall in the NFL was that he was four inches shorter than Russo and could not see over 6-foot-5 defensive linemen with 41-inch vertical leaps. That metric changes in the XFL.

All of the other Temple University passing records, the apples to apples ones, will probably be picked off by Anthony Russo if he’s only able to duplicate his single-season of 2019 (21 touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, 2,861 yards) this season. You’ve got to think he will do better than that with Jadan Blue and Branden Mack as his two leading receivers. I think he will. I’m putting him down right now, if he’s injury-free, for 25 touchdowns, 3,000 yards, and 10 interceptions. (Feel free to snipe at me in December of this year if these predictions are wrong, but I think it will be pretty close to right.)

Those numbers would easily put him as the second-best, statistically, quarterback of all-time at Temple.

russopj

Anthony Russo congratulating P.J. Walker after throwing winning TD pass at UCF

What would Russo have to do to be No. 1? Just for fun, Anthony would have to throw 40 touchdown passes with 5,246 yards to be number one in all statistical categories. That would be close to a Joe Burrow-type improvement at LSU. In 2018, Burrow had 16 touchdown passes and five interceptions and 2,894 yards. In 2019: 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, 8 interceptions. Not happening for Anthony, but a fun scenario to think about in a Matt Rhule-like pro-set offense. RPO? No chance.

So, Rod Carey, please think about a more sensible offense for this talent in 2020. There’s got to be a sensible offensive guy in that coaching room who can tailor an offense around the present QB and not a long-term future one.

Still, though, the 25-3,000-10 season we described would put him in second place in all the major Temple statistical categories. He would break the single-season touchdown record shared by Brian Broomell and P.J. Walker (22 apiece) and top Walker’s 2015 season for yardage (2,972).

You might have a different opinion of Russo but, to me, numbers don’t lie and they will be telling the more complete story than any eye test done by the amateurs soon enough.

Friday: What the New Stadium Deal Means

11.07.16
by

P.J. Walker Appreciation Day

newestpj

P.J. Walker will have nearly every Temple QB record.

Old habits are hard to break but because of my admiration and appreciation of the young man, I tried to grant P.J. Walker’s request to call him Phillip.

For a while, I was able to do it.

No more. He will always be P.J. to me, Matt Rhule and I suspect the great majority of Temple fans. I am no more able to call him Phillip than a Saints’ fan is apt to call Drew Brees “Andrew” or, more precisely, a Giants’ fan is likely to call Y.A Tittle “Yelberton Abraham” Tittle.

So he is going to be P.J. henceforth, period, end of story, but that’s not why today is P.J. Walker Appreciation Day in this spot. It’s because he is the only winning quarterback (25-18) over a four-year period in Temple history and, to me, that’s the most important statistic.

Here are some others:

walkergraph

To be good enough to be a four-year FBS starter in college football is almost unheard of these days because three-year starters usually head to the NFL early, so that’s one point. For a school that has played college football since 1894, being the only four-year starter and one of the few winning quarterbacks in that school’s history is a really special achievement.

That’s the brand he has established, and it is not a bad one to have. Going to the numbers, a strong case can be made that he is the greatest Temple quarterback of all time. While some will say Walker is a compiler as much as an achiever, I will say that his sophomore year was wasted by an ill-advised multiple wide receiver scheme that often left him in an empty backfield unprotected by a fullback or a tailback and running for his life. I told P.J. as much on Chodoff Field after the next Cherry and White game and told him to keep his head up, that help was on the way and he would become an all-time Temple great. He shook my hand and thanked me for believing in him.

That all has come true with two games left in his final regular season.

The numbers do not lie. If you want to make a case for Brian Broomell, who really only started two years (1978 and 1979), no one can argue with you because Broomell was 17-5-1 as a Temple starter and that’s a higher winning percentage than Walker. The same case can be made for another two-year starter, Maxwell Award-winner Steve Joachim, who was 17-3 as a Temple quarterback.

Still, Walker’s resume is superior to everyone else near the top of the list. The Owls have a special quarterback in Walker and, if he hoists the overall AAC trophy in December, he will have the most important trophy none of the other great Temple quarterbacks have and that will be a league championship.

Phillip schmillip, P.J. is a mighty good name to me and always will be.

Wednesday: What Have We Done (Part II)?

10.11.16
by

5 Reasons To Roll P.J. Out

Click on this great photo of P.J. Walker for details.

When I first saw P.J. Walker play quarterback for Temple University, I had two overriding thoughts.

One,  he reminded me of a fellow AAC quarterback at the time, Teddy Bridgewater, and, two, I thought there was a good chance he would be gone by his senior season.

That’s how good I thought he was and that’s how good I thought he was going to become. He took over as a starter a few games into his true freshman year and compiled 20 touchdown passes against only eight interceptions. If the numbers kept going up, I imagined he’d have 25 touchdowns as a sophomore and 30 as a junior and 30 touchdown passes is a ticket to getting drafted.

A couple of things happened on the way to him not declaring for the NFL draft a year early. One, he was the victim of a horrific coaching scheme as a sophomore that gave him no pocket protection from a tailback or fullback and plenty of empty backfields. It was not his fault that he regressed to 13 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. (And I told him that after the next Cherry and White game.) He bounced back nicely as a junior with 19 touchdowns against eight interceptions, but that was in 14 games. He had better stats in nine games his freshman year and he started only seven games that season.

That was P.J. Walker and I want the old P.J. Walker back. As Phillip Walker, he has only eight touchdown passes against nine interceptions. To get the old P.J. back, the Temple coaches are going to have to roll him out—if not all of the time, at least 80 percent of the time.

It should be a no-brainer and should have been done about six games ago.

friendwalker

Here are five reasons why you do that:

He Sees The Field Better

At 5-foot-11, when he drops back, guys who are 6-foot-5 are running  and jumping at him. It’s only logical that he sees the field better when he leaves the pocket and rolls out to his right. It also opens up the other side of the field for wheel routes and throwback passes to the tight ends (hint: Central Bucks School district products Colin Thompson and Jake O’Donnell).

The Threat of Running

By rolling out, P.J. brings up the linebackers and the safeties to cover the threat of him running.  The linebackers and safeties have to make a quick decision. Quick decisions lead to bad decisions.

If Temple rolls the pocket and throws off play action, it will win. If it keeps asking P.J. to throw into tight windows, it will lose. Simple as that.

If Temple rolls the pocket and throws off play action, it will win. If it keeps asking P.J. to throw into tight windows in the pocket over taller linemen, it will lose. Simple as that.

Coverage Mismatches

Those linebackers and safeties have pass coverage responsibilities and, by coming up on run support, they leave the Temple receivers they are assigned to cover. P.J. can then see the field and toss the intermediate pass to Temple tight ends or wide receivers who now are running free through the secondary.

Spacing

By rolling out, P.J. is no longer the sitting duck he is when protection breaks down on a more conventional dropback pass. He now has the option to run in open space and pick up a first down should the linebackers and safeties stay back. That leaves the No. 1 reason why P.J. should roll out.

Red Zone Offense

USATSI_7560520_149008644_lowres

Nothing drives defenses more insane than the threat of a running quarterback near the goal line. They are damned if they come up in run support because the option of throwing to the back of the end zone is always there. They are damned if they do not come up on run support because P.J. has the speed to get to the pylon.

Temple becomes a much better team if the Owls stop trying to jam Phillip Walker into a square Tom Brady peg when P.J. Walker fits more nicely into a Russell Wilson hole.  The sooner the Owl coaches realize that, the better their chances of getting out of the quicksand of mediocrity where Phillip and his teammates are mired now.

Thursday: Meet Your New Kicker

07.13.16
by

Don’t Mess With Phil

pjtm

Last year’s team leader and this year’s.

According to the website Songfacts.com, there is not a single song about a guy named Phil.

The closest thing we could find is “Don’t Mess With Bill” by the Marvelettes but, if Phillip Walker wins an AAC title with the Temple football Owls, there could be one about him around the beginning of the new year.

Phillip?

Yes, the four-year starter at quarterback officially changed his name from P.J. Walker to Phillip, at least if his twitter page is any indication.

 

It might be nothing but the whim of a college student, but it might represent the transformation a lot of us expect from the four-year starter at quarterback. During his freshman year, I thought he established himself as a future star with 20 touchdowns against only eight interceptions in a year where he did not start until after the Idaho debacle. In his sophomore year, he was as poorly protected as any Temple quarterback I’ve ever seen—more to coaching schemes than the offensive line—but he still managed to squeeze out a bowl-eligible season.

Phillip will have all of the TU QB records, with the possible exception of rating, by the end of the season.

Phillip will have all of the TU QB records, with the possible exception of rating and Walter Washington’s rushing numbers and TDs, by the end of the season.

Last  year, he became more than a game manager but less than a star thanks, in part, to some help by a coaching staff than limited empty backfields (and opportunities for the bad guys to blitz) and inserted a blocking fullback (Nick Sharga) on a regular basis. Sharga was in there ostensibly to block for lead back Jahad Thomas, but he also picked off more than one blitzing linebacker headed straight to the quarterback.

This year, I think he graduates from that gray area between game manager and star to fully-fledged star. The only way that doesn’t happen is if the Owls go back to four- and five-wides and hopefully they learned that lesson two years ago.

Don’t mess with Phil, coming soon to a record store near you.  It might not be by the Marvelettes, but it will be Marvelous.

Friday: Checking All The Boxes

04.06.13
by

Open quarterback competition good, not bad

The wildcard in the open competition is incoming freshman P.J. Walker.
TFF welcomes Chris
Coyer, 1/14/2009

As former Giants’ coach Bill Parcells once blabbed, “that’s a good thing, not a bad thing” was the reaction I had when Matt Rhule announced an open quarterback competition going into this spring’s Temple football practice.
I like competition.
Really, he is not going to say: “I don’t care what any of these guys do, I’ve already decided.” That’s not good coaching business.
That’s the position former head coach Steve Addazio maintained two days before he went off to become head coach at Boston College. The first thing he said was that there was going to be an open quarterback competition. The second thing he said was that “this offseason is going to be no box of chocolates.” The third thing he said was “I’m outta here like Vladimir.” All in a matter of 48 hours.
If Connor Reilly beats out the field and becomes Temple’s starter on Aug. 31 against Notre Dame, every Temple football fan, coach and player is better off.
The same can be said of the other five quarterbacks who figure to be in the mix.
Because with the possible exception of when Adam DiMichele dined alone, Temple’s quarterbacking training room dinner table is more talented than any in the Golden/Addazio/Rhule Era.
If you beat out those guys, then you have something.
That said, I like John Madden’s quote better: “If you have more than one quarterback, you don’t have any.”
My guess is that Rhule will settle on one quarterback by Notre Dame and stick with him and that quarterback will be Chris Coyer.
There are a few reasons for that:

  • Coyer is the ONLY quarterback in the last 30 years to win a bowl game for Temple;
  • Coyer was recruited by Rhule;
  • Coyer was about to receive a scholarship offer from Ohio State and showed his loyalty to Rhule and the Owls by telling them thanks but no thanks;
  • Coyer replaced starter Chester Stewart in the Ohio game and threw for three touchdowns and over 300 yards passing and, oh by the way, added 184 yards on the ground;
  • Coyer played with a broken hand last year, taking one for the team;
  • Coyer was additionally handicapped by a run-first, second- and too-many-times third-approach by Daz;
  • Coyer can both throw and run equally effectively, a real plus in the days of the modern spread offense;
  • Coyer, without a broken hand two years, ago was UNBEATEN in games he started;
  • Coyer’s co-offensive coordinator during that unbeaten streak: Matt Rhule.

The wildcard in all of this is not necessarily Reilly but P.J. Walker. In a perfect world, you redshirt Walker and have him sponge all there is to know from Coyer, Rhule and graduate assistant DiMichele.
All of these facts are rattling around in Rhule’s brain right now and probably will continue to rattle until Aug. 31.
When the facts stop and the reasoning starts, unless Coyer completely comes apart (and we hear he’s having a good spring, too), Coyer will be under center.
After all, Rhule and Coyer have been an unbeatable combination in the past and there’s no reason to think that success can’t continue in their final year together.

02.07.13
by

The 2013 Temple signing class

 The Temple video people did a great job with these highlights, as usual.

Al Shrier has his briefcase.
Al Golden had his binder.
No one can deny the importance of either to Temple University.
Whatever was in the Shrier briefcase must have had been a lot, because the man transformed Temple sports news from dirt road days to the information highway.

Sign in Times Square welcomes new Temple Owls.

Golden allowed certain people to know what was in his binder, without giving away the entire playbook.
When I once had the gonads to walk up to Golden after an early signing day and ask, he said it was a blueprint on how to build a program from the ground up, from hiring coaches to designing a practice facility and, most importantly, recruiting.
New Temple head coach Matt Rhule must have gone through the binder once or twice because Rhule’s first recruiting class reflects a core values’ chapter from the Golden binder: “Trust the film.”
Programs like Temple have to have coaches who know how to dissect and accurately grade the film because, for the most part, the rich get richer in college football.
 For those just below the top 25, they have to scratch and claw to get into the exclusive club above them.
“Trust the film.”
While any running back or quarterback can look like Jim Brown or Brett Favre on film, not any running back can run for 389 yards and six touchdowns in one high school game (as Zaire Williams did) or not every quarterback can lead a team to an unbeaten season, a state title and a player of the year award (as P.J. Walker did).
Not every kicker can set a state record for career field goals (as Jim Cooper Jr. did). So while Rhule and his staff trusted the film, those players (and others) have a few facts to verify the film, too.

The complete class follows:

Jarred Alwan

Linebacker • Freshman • 6-1 • 215
Cherry Hill, N.J. • Camden Catholic HS
High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … ranked the No. 23 player in the state of New Jersey … played for coach Gil Brooks at Camden Catholic HS … participated in the North-South Game … selected Temple over Boston College and West Virginia.
Personal: Jarred Alwan … born November 30, 1993 … parents are Narci and Gamal Alwan … plans to study risk management and actuarial science in the Fox School of Business.
Matt Barone
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-3 • 280
McKees Rocks, Pa. • Montour HS
High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … ranked 13th nationally at center … played for coach Lou Cerro at Montour HS … team went 35-6 during his prep career with a WPIAL title and a runner-up finish … participated in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … as a junior, team went 12-3 and advanced to the PIAA Class AAA state semifinals in 2011.
Personal: Matt Barone … born March 2, 1995 … Montour teammate Tyler Haddock is a fellow Temple signee.
Buddy Brown
Linebacker • Freshman • 6-2 • 205
Williamstown, N.J. • Williamstown HS
High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … played for coach Frank Fucetola at Williamstown HS … participated in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … as a junior, had 87 tackles, six sacks, and four forced fumbles … participated in the North-South Game… selected Temple over more than 20 other BCS offers, including Rutgers, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Personal: Shawn Brown, Jr. … born July 13, 1994 … parents are Tiffany and Shawn Brown, Sr. … has two sisters— Destiny (21) and Brianna (16) … father is a retired police officer … loves history … Williamstown teammate Jullian Taylor is a fellow Temple signee … considering a double major in kinesiology and business.

Brian Carter
Defensive Line • Freshman • 6-4 • 280
Harrisburg, Pa. • Harrisburg HS
High School: Two-way lineman for coach Calvin Everett at Harrisburg HS … three-year starter … 2012 first-team All-Mid-Penn Conference honoree on offense … selected to participate in the Big 33 Game … selected Temple over Connecticut.
Personal: Brian Carter … born November 7, 1994 … parents are Melody Fleming and Melvin Washington … guardian is Tracey Smith.
Jim Cooper, Jr.
Placekicker/Punter • Freshman • 6-1 • 205
Linwood, N.J. • Mainland Regional HS
High School: U.S. Army All-American … three-star prospect by Rivals.com … played for coach Robert Coffey at Mainland Regional HS but kicking coach was his father, Jim Sr. … participated in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Personal: James Cooper, Jr. … born October 19, 1994 … parents are Marie and James Cooper, Sr. … father was also a kicker at Temple (1983-86) under head coach Bruce Arians.
Dion Dawkins
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-5 • 330
Rahway, N.J. • Rahway HS • Hargrave Military Academy
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013.
Postgraduate: Played offensive tackle for coach Troy Davis during the 2012 season … bolstered an o-line that helped the Tigers rush for more than 150 yards per game … selected Temple over Cincinnati.
High School: Played offensive and defensive tackle for coach Gary Mobley at Rahway HS … graduated in 2012 … participated in the North-South Game.
Personal: Dion Ray Dawkins … born April 26, 1994 … parents are Lisa Dawkins and Eric Dawkins.
Sharif Finch
Linebacker • Freshman • 6-4 • 210
Henrico, Va. • Henrico HS
High School: Played linebacker for coach Roger Brookes … as a senior, had 84 tackles and five sacks … as a junior, had 161 tackles and 10.5 sacks … selected Temple over Miami and East Carolina.
Personal: Sharif Finch … born October 1, 1995… parents are Wendy Finch and Greg Finch … originally from Queens, N.Y.
Artrel Foster
Defensive Back • Freshman • 6-0 • 170
Meadville, Pa. • Meadville HS
High School: Played cornerback and running back for coach Mike Feleppa at Meadville HS … four-year varsity starter … in prep career, had 4,248 all-purpose yards, including 3,249 rushing yards on 499 carries, 37 touchdowns, 130 tackles, and six interceptions … 2012 District 10 Region 5 first-team honoree on defense, second-team honoree on offense … rushed for 101 yards in 2012 season opener against Northwestern … named one of the Top 100 juniors in Pennsylvania … 2011 District 10 Region 5 first-team honoree on defense, second-team honoree on offense … rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a junior and sophomore … as a junior, had three interceptions … also a 2012 first-team All-Region honoree in basketball on defense and second-team All-Region on offense … attended the 2012 Temple Football Camp … participated in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … also played basketball … selected Temple over Cincinnati and Penn State.
Personal: Artrel Jonte Foster … born June 24, 1995, in Meadville, Pa. …. parents are Tammy Foster and Art Bell … has an older sister, Asia Foster (24), and a younger brother, Armoni Foster (13) … cousin is Wade Manning, former WR/CB (1979-82) for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos … considering a career in graphic design or athletic training.
Tyler Haddock
Defensive Line • Freshman • 6-2 • 290
Pittsburgh, Pa. • Montour HS
High School: Three-year letterwinner at defensive tackle for coach Lou Cerro at Montour HS … unanimous All-Parkway Conference selection as a two-way player … team went 35-6 during his prep career with a WPIAL title and a runner-up finish … in prep career, had 120 tackles and 15 sacks … as a junior, team went 12-3 and advanced to the PIAA Class AAA state semifinals in 2011 … totaled 100career tackles, 26 TFL, 15 sacks, and three fumble recoveries at the end of his junior season … also a three-year letterwinner in wrestling … went 60-29 … attended the 2012 Temple Football Camp … started in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … Honor Roll student … active with Big Brothers/Big Sisters … selected Temple over Georgia Tech and Rutgers.
Personal: Tyler James Haddock … born December 16, 1994, in Pittsburgh, Pa. … parents are Sharon Jones and John Jones (stepfather) … Montour teammate Matt Barone is a fellow Temple signee … intends to study sports management.
Todd Jeter
Defensive Back • Freshman • 6-0 • 169
Monroeville, Pa. • Gateway HS
High School: Played wide receiver and defensive back for former coach Terry Smith, now at Temple, at Gateway HS … also returned punts … 2012 All-State selection … 2012 Quad East All-Star … 2012 second-team All-Foothills Conference honoree on defense … helped the Gators to a 9-2 record in 2012 en route to a Quad East championship with a perfect 8-0 record … team advanced to the WPIAL AAAA playoffs … as a senior in 2012, had 322 receiving yards and two touchdowns while making 27 tackles and two interceptions … averaged 20 yards per catch … played for the North squad in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … selected for the 2013 Big 33 Game.
Personal: Todd Jeter … mother is Renee Boswell.
Leon Johnson
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-6 • 300
Plainfield, N.J. • Bound Brook HS
High School: Two-way lineman for coach Dom Longo at Bound Brook HS … as a senior, had 20 tackles, including 15 solo stops … also played center for the Crusaders’ basketball team … selected Temple over South Florida and Ohio State.
Personal: Hubert Leon Johnson … prefers middle name … born June 4, 1995 … mother is Valerie Graves.
Paul Layton
Punter • Senior • 6-1 • 215
Burnt Hills, N.Y. • Ballston Lake HS • Albany
Transfer student from the University at Albany … enrolled at Temple in January 2013 … graduated in December 2012 … has one season of eligibility.
Honors: 2012, 2011, and 2010 first-team All-Northeast Conference honoree … 2012 College Football Performance FCS Punter Watch List … 2012 All-Northeast Conference Preseason Team … named the 2011 Great Danes’ Most Valuable Special Teams Player (team award) … named a 2011 ECAC Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Special Team All-Star … Northeast Conference Special Teams Player of the Week (twice) … 2010 NEC Academic Honor Roll … 2009 Capital District Student Scholarship.
If you’d like
to see Temple
Football Forever
continue through offseason
please click over
donate button
in support TFF
section on sidebar
College: Three-year letterwinner at punter for head coach Bob Ford at the University at Albany … averaged 41.0 yards in career. 2012: Played in all 11 games at punter … averaged a league-best 40.4 yards per punt, including a program record 82-yarder vs. Wagner (11/3) … punted 46 times with 11 sailing 50-yards or longer … dropped 15 within the 20-yard line. 2011: Averaged 42.6 yards per punt, ranking 9th among the national leaders … booted 17 kicks of 50 or more yards. 2010: Averaged 40.1 yard per punt as a redshirt freshman … ranked 31st among the national leaders and third in the Northeast Conference … placed 14 punts inside the 20-yard line, including seven for touchbacks … booted 50-plus yard punts 12 times … tied 13th-longest punt in school history with 69-yarder in season finale against Monmouth … kicked a 63-yard punt at Duquesne and a 61-yarder at Maine. 2009: Redshirted. Selected Temple over Penn State and Notre Dame.
High School: Four-year letterwinner for coach Matt Shell at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake HS … 2008 Class A first-team All-State selection by New York State Sportswriters Association as a kicker … made 68 of 69 PATs and three field goals … third on all-time Section II kicking list with 77 points … averaged 42 yards per punt … all-time leader in Section II history with 172 career kicking points … 2008 Large School Offensive Player of the Year by the Albany Times Union … first-team All-Area by Daily Gazette and Troy Record … led high school to state championship game as a quarterback … passed for 1,302 yards and 14 touchdowns … rushed for 1,186 yards and 20 TDs … BHBL won second sectional title in last three years … consensus All-Area punter as a junior, when he averaged 41 yards per attempt … earned third-team All-State honors as a quarterback … career stats: 2,861 passing yards, 34 passing TDs, 2,002 rushing yards, 28 rushing TDs … four varsity awards as basketball guard … two-time team captain … National Honor Society member … Math Honor Society member … Business Honor Society member … participated in Big Brothers.
Personal: Paul K. Layton … born November 5, 1990, in Burnt Hills, N.Y. … parents are Karen and Jim Layton … has two older sisters, Jessica (32) and Lauren (26), and an older brother, Steve (30) … all siblings were college athletes … brother played tight end at Union College … Jessica played soccer at Syracuse, and Lauren played field hockey at SUNY Oswego … graduated from Albany in December 2012 with a degree in business administration… pursuing a master’s degree in marketing.
Jihaad Pretlow
Defensive Back • Freshman • 5-11 • 185
Elizabeth, N.J. • Blair Academy
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013.
High School: Played running back for coach Jim Stone at Blair Academy … as a junior, rushed for 838 yards and 19 touchdowns as the Bucs went 7-0 overall … also made four interceptions as a defensive back … played two seasons with nationally ranked basketball team … selected Temple over Connecticut, Penn State, and Rutgers.
Personal: Jihaad Pretlow … born March 15, 1994 … parents are Bayyinah Pretlow and Malik Jackson … father played football at Rutgers in the early 1990s … played Pop Warner football with fellow Temple signee P.J. Walker.
Shane Rafter
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-4 • 282
Moorestown, N.J. • Moorestown HS
High School: Played offensive and defensive tackle for coach Russ Horton … three-year letterwinner … 2012 All-County honoree on defense … helped the Quaker to the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs … as a junior, had 61 tackles and three sacks … the first player to commit to Temple in the 2013 class … participated in the 2011 National Underclassmen Combine … also a two-year letterwinner in track and ice hockey … selected Temple over Connecticut, Rutgers, and Syracuse.
Personal: Shane Rafter … born July 7, 1994 … parents are John and Barb Rafter … has a sister, Jamie.
Semaj Reed
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-7 • 270
Philadelphia, Pa. • Haverford School
High School: Played defensive end for coach Michael Murphy at the Haverford School … also played basketball … selected Temple over Buffalo and Maryland.
Personal: Semaj Reed … mother is Jacqueline Reed … originally from Newburgh, N.Y. … interested in political science, criminal justice, and business.
John Rizzo
Fullback • Freshman • 6-1 • 221
Johnstown, Pa. • Richland HS
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013.
High School: Played running back for coach Brandon Bailey at Richland HS … 2012 Tribune-Democrat first-team All-Area … as a senior, rushed for 1,769 yards and 20 touchdowns … played in the East-East Game … three-time state heavyweight wrestling champion … selected Temple over Penn State, Pitt, and Georgia Tech.
Personal: John Rizzo … born February 13, 1993 … parents are Lynda and Tony Rizzo … has six siblings— Anthony (26), Marlena (24), Frank (23), Joe (21), Christina (15), and Mario (14).
Averee Robinson
Defensive Line • Freshman • 6-1 • 285
Harrisburg, Pa. • Susquehanna Township HS • Milford Academy
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013 … originally signed National Letter of Intent with Temple in February 2012.
Postgraduate: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … played the 2012 season for coach Bill Chaplick at Milford Academy.
High School: Played defensive tackle for coach Joe Headen at Susquehanna Township HS … 2011 Harrisburg Patriot-News first-team Defensive All-Star … as a junior, had 46 tackles and eight sacks … also wrestled … won consecutive PIAA heavyweight wrestling championship in 2012 and 2011… attended the 2010 Temple Football Camp.
Personal: Averee Robinson … born October 17, 1993 … parents are Terry and Adrian Robinson, Sr. … older brother is former Temple Owl and three-time first-team All-MAC DE Adrian Robinson (2008-11) who just finished his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Adrian Sullivan
Offensive Line • Freshman • 6-5 • 270
Babylon, N.Y. • Babylon HS • Worchester Academy
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013.
Postgraduate: Played one season for coach Tony Johnson at Worcester Academy (Mass.) … Honor Roll student.
High School: Played offensive tackle and defensive end for coach Rick Punzone at Babylon Junior-Senior HS … team went 15-6 his last two seasons … named to the 2012 Best Players on Long Island Honor Roll for basketball.
Personal: Adrian Sullivan, Jr. … parents are Sonja Stewart and the late Adrian Sullivan, Sr. … uncle is former Temple and current San Diego Chargers assistant coach Andrew Dees.
Jullian Taylor
Defensive Line • Freshman • 6-5 • 230
Glenside, Pa. • Williamstown (N.J.) HS
High School: Versatile athlete … played defensive end, tight end, and linebacker for coach Frank Fucetola at Williamstown HS … 2012 All-State, All-Mid Athletic, All-Group 5, and All-South Jersey honoree … team went a perfect 12-0 en route to the 2012 state Class 5 championship as a senior, had 60 tackles and 14 sacks … participated in the North-South Game … volunteered for Mastery Charter School’s beautification project … selected Temple over Iowa and Virginia Tech.
Personal: Jullian Patrick Taylor … born January 30, 1995, in Philadelphia, Pa. … parents are Rufus Taylor and Rolanda Brewer … has a younger brother, Jay (8), and a younger sister, Mia (8) … father is a Temple alum who was a walk-on the men’s basketball team in 1989 … Williamstown teammate Buddy Brown is a fellow Temple signee … intends to study business.
Kiser Terry
Defensive Line • Freshman • 6-3 • 260
Feasterville, Pa. • Neshaminy HS • Milford Academy
Mid-year student that enrolled at Temple in January 2013 … originally signed National Letter of Intent with Temple in February 2012.
Postgraduate: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … played the 2012 season for coach Bill Chaplick at Milford Academy … saw action at defensive end.
High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … selected to play in the 2012 Big 33 Game and the 2011 Chesapeake Bowl … team captain … played defensive end and tight end for coach Mark Schmidt at Neshaminy HS … 2011 PA Football News Honorable Mention All-State honoree … 2011 EasternPAFootball.com Honorable Mention All-State selection … 2011 Philadelphia Inquirer first-team All-Southeastern PA pick … 2011 Suburban One first-team All-Conference honoree … 2011 Neshaminy Mr. Lineman coaches’ award recipient … 2010 second-team All-Conference selection … Redskins went 12-2 in 2010, his junior season, and advanced to the District 1 AAAA championship game … as a junior, had 47 tackles, including 40 solo stops, a team-best six sacks, and three forced fumbles.
Personal: Kiser Terry … born August 11, 1993 … mother is Betty Terry … older brother Terrell Channell lettered in football at Temple in 2006.
Jahad Thomas
Running Back • Freshman • 5-10 • 170
Elizabeth, N.J. • Elizabeth HS
High School: Ranked the fourth-best running back in the state of New Jersey … all-purpose back for coach John Quinn at Elizabeth HS … helped team to the 2012 state title … participated in the North-South Game … captained two sports as a junior … starter on the nationally ranked basketball team.
Personal: Jahad Thomas … born November 6, 1995 … parents are Connie Thomas and Eddie Roberts … Elizabeth HS teammate P.J. Walker is a fellow Temple signee.
P.J. Walker
Quarterback • Freshman • 6-1 • 200
Elizabeth, N.J. • Elizabeth HS
High School: Dual-threat quarterback for coach John Quinn at Elizabeth HS … 2012 Newark-Star Ledger State Offensive Player of the Year … helped team to the 2012 state title … as a junior, one of the state’s most accurate passers … went 120-of-189 (63.5 percent) for 2,168 yards and 18 touchdowns … in the NJSIAA sectional final against Piscataway, threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 199 yards and a touchdown … four-year starter … participated in the North-South Game … also played basketball … team reached the 2012 Group 4 final … selected Temple over Connecticut and Rutgers.
Personal: Phillip Walker, Jr. … born February 26, 1995… parents are Tamicha Drake and Phillip Walker, Sr. … Elizabeth HS teammate Jahad Thomas is a fellow Temple signee … played Pop Warner football with fellow Temple signee Jihaad Pretlow.
Zaire Williams
Running Back • Freshman • 5-11 • 188
Sicklerville, N.J. • Timber Creek HS
High School: Three-star prospect by Rivals.com … ranked by Rivals as the No. 36 overall running back and New Jersey’s 16th-best player overall … played for coach Rob Hinson … participated in the 2012 Chesapeake Bowl … selected Temple over West Virginia. … While playing for Cherokee as a junior, he had 42 carries for 389 yards and six touchdowns in a game against Cherry Hill East.
Personal: Zaire Williams … born October 25, 1994 … father is Bruce Williams.
02.06.13
by

Hard to pick an MVP from this class … now

Right now, P.J. Walker looks like your 2014 starting quarterback.

Not many people know this, but there was once a quarterback who won a Maxwell Award at Temple.
Now, after a nearly 40-year wait, there is a second.
“Hard to believe, Harry.”
That might be the way current Temple radio color guy Steve Joachim would tell the story to play-by-play guy Harry Donahue.


Follow real time updates all day
Temple head coach Matt Rhule will be tweeting the announcement of each signee during the morning as their letters arrive.
To be part of the action, follow him on twitter @CoachMattRhule.
Rhule will discuss the 2013 recruiting class in a 3 p.m. media conference, which is not open to the public. TFF has not received an invite, so we’ll be watching the press conference LIVE on Owlsports.com before heading out to the TU basketball game.

Joachim was the Maxwell Award winner for the 1974 college football season, emblematic of the nation’s best college football player.
Signing on the dotted line heading a solid class today is the second Maxwell Award-winner in Temple history, an incoming freshman quarterback by the name of P.J. Walker.
Walker’s Maxwell came for being the New Jersey Player of the Year for unbeaten Elizabeth.
Walker doesn’t remind me as much of Joachim as he does former Temple quarterback Henry Burris. Watching the film at the top of this post I had a similar reaction when former Temple coach Ron Dickerson showed me film of Spiro (Okla.) High School quarterback Burris.
My gosh, I thought. Same throwing style, same motion, as Henry Burris.
Same deadly accuracy. Walker is a little better runner than Henry was, but Henry has three Canadian Football Most Valuable Player awards on his mantlepiece.
We’ll see how P.J. develops. He better get there fast since he’s the only QB on the 2014 depth chart.
Walker could be the MVP of this class, but so could Jim Cooper, Jr., the first All-American kicker ever signed by Temple. His dad, also Jim Cooper, once kicked a 38-yard field goal to help Temple beat West Virginia. Son, also from Mainland, N.J., holds the New Jersey record for career field goals.

Please support TFF
by clicking on
ad below poll question

Speaking about beating West Virginia, another MVP from this class could be running back Zaire Williams, from Timber Creek, N.J. The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder with 4.49 40 speed gave a glimpse of his big-time ability while playing for Cherokee two years ago. He finished with 42 carries and 386 yards (and six touchdowns) in a game against Cherry Hill East. Maybe he’ll break Montel Harris’ single-game Owl record (351, seven touchdowns).
Williams could be the MVP of this class.
So could two-time state heavyweight wrestling champion Averee Robinson, who once had six sacks in one game for Susquehanna Township while playing every position along the defensive line.

Shane Rafter (76) casts a rather large shadow.

Robinson comes from good bloodlines. His brother is a former Owl, Adrian Robinson, now with the Steelers.
I once told Adrian’s dad, also Adrian, that the Owls were playing that Robinson out of position, that  he should have been an outside linebacker but that they needed him as a “rush” end to get pressure on the quarterback. Both Adrians understood. Still, Arob was a natural OLB.
This Robinson won’t be playing out of position. He’s a natural nose tackle in a 3-4 AND a natural DT in a 4-3.
Since he is a state wrestling champion, maintaining gap leverage in a 3-4 should make him especially effective there.
Buddy Brown is one of the best linebackers in the state of New Jersey, so he could be MVP of this class or mabye it could be his Williamstown teammate Jullian Taylor, a transfer from Abington (Pa.). Camden Catholic middle linebacker Jarred Alwan so also highly rated, so it could be him as well.
Or it could be someone else, like Harrisburg’s Brian Carter or Meadville defensive back Artrel Foster or offensive linemen like Shane  Rafter (Moorestown, N.J.) or one of the two Montour linemen, Tyler Haddock-Jones or Matt Barone.
I’ve got an idea.
Let’s wait until the Temple football banquet four years from now and decide then.
The fact that there are so many in this group in the discussion at this point only bodes well for the future of Temple football.
What’s that Steve Joachim said?
Yeah.
Hard to believe, Harry.

Complete analysis of the class, with photos, up by Thursday afternoon

01.24.13
by

Philly and Boston: Recruiting tale of two cities

Players like Arkum Wadley (N.J.) have helped Matt Rhule jump over Steve Addazio in recruiting.

Today’s guilty pleasure is a story of two cities, Philadelphia and Boston.
In one, a school is holding on to a group of pretty solid recruits, despite losing its head coach during the first week of December.
In another, a new coach is scrambling for recruits and, as of Tuesday, did not land a single new commitment despite being on the job for over a month.
One of the schools had to wait for a guy coming off a long NFL season.
The other guy, named a “National Recruiter of the Year” (NROY) three times, jumped right in and hit the ground running.
So it figures the NROY is beating the NFL guy, right?
Think again.
Matt Rhule, the NFL guy, pretty much kept most of his commitments in Philadelphia for Temple University.
Heck, he even made a phone call to a recruit three hours before his New York Giants were scheduled to play in Atlanta.
Steve Addazio, the NROY guy, had yet to land his first commit for Boston College as of Tuesday.
It’s OK not to suppress that guilty smile.
It appears to be a solid class of guys who can help right away. I’m penciling in Mainland (N.J.) kicker Jim Cooper already as a starter for next season. New Jersey player of the year P.J. Walker is the quarterback of the future, starting no later than 2014, and running back Jihaad Pretlow’s junior highlights can be found here.
In the chart below, compiled by loyal TFF reader Steve Sipe (yes, the brother of Berlin attorney Brian Sipe),  Temple has only lost one commit so far, Clearwater tight end A.J. Sattinger.
As always, I hesitate to publish charts because this two-week period before signing day can be tricky but this gives Temple fans a general idea of how things are going and they are going pretty well.
I’d like to see a second quarterback in this class since all three Temple top quarterbacks are graduating at the end of the 2013 season. A pass rusher with about 80 sacks, preferably a ready-to-go JC one, would be a nice addition to bringing in DTs like Averee Robinson and Tyler Haddock-Jones (only Haddock fit on the google spreadsheet).
“Other than that” as sports talk caller Jose from Norristown might say, Temple fans should be all set for a nice signing night film session party. (Or a day after film session party in Philly, New York or Scranton.)

Haddonfield (N.J.) WR Zach Grant should also appear on this list., as should Arkum Wadley, whose video appears at the top.

In between finishing up his duties as an assistant offensive line coach with the New York Giants, Rhule had to   keep a diverse group of Addazio recruits in the fold and, for the most part, it appears that he’s done that.
On the other hand, Daz is having trouble bringing guys north to Boston.
I must give Addazio some credit, though, for not “stealing” Temple recruits. The thought crossed my mind maybe, oh, five minutes after I heard Daz was leaving Temple.
So he’s got to be given points for restraint.
At least so far.
And, in the recruiting battle between the two, it looks like this kid Rhule has NROY potential.

Sipe has this list of guys either coming in or recent visits. Moody is off the table (Pitt commit)
12.16.12
by

The Matt Rhule Story resumes at Chapter 3

When and if Hollywood ever makes the Matt Rhule Story, another Matt (Damon) might be playing the title role and whatever happens on Monday, December 17, will be somewhere in the middle of the motion picture.
That’s because, at Temple University, the first couple chapters of the script have already been written. Young, dynamic, assistant coach helps friend lift a football program off the scrap heap of Division I football and into respectability. Then he’s passed over as head coach only to replace the guy who was picked instead of him.
Instead of sulking about being passed over the first time, he stays to keep a recruiting class together and helps the new coach win the school’s first bowl in 30 years.
After that achievement, he goes off to the big city and the bright lights of the NFL, only to be beckoned home by a crisis.
He becomes the school’s third coach in five years and restores the shaken players’ faith in humanity. Not quite Friday Night Lights, but at least Saturday Afternoon Heights.
Good stuff so far.
Whether or not it’s good enough for the silver screen will be determined in how the story develops moving forward.
The next scene is an important one because there will be an Elephant in the Room. The Elephant this time is stability and how long Rhule commits to staying at Temple.

If I were Rhule, I wouldn’t do what the last guy, Steve Addazio, did on the same day, saying he would tell recruits “to make Temple a destination school” and “don’t be passing through.”

Steve Addazio poses with the greatest helmet in the
history of college football the day he was introduced as coach.
Two months later, he got rid of it.

I would say, “I’m not going to ask the kids to do what I wouldn’t do. I’m staying for the duration. I’m not leaving unless I get kicked out of here and I don’t intend on getting kicked out of here. My solemn vow is that I won’t consider another job while I’m under contract to Temple. The people here have made a commitment to me and I will do the same for them. That’s only fair.”
In a world when money talks and BS walks, that statement alone would make national news. He would be the first coach hired in this day and age of musical chairs to ever say something like that.

“After all I did to change the helmets to TEMPLE,
Addazio is doing WHAT? That stubborn 3-yards-
in-a-cloud-of-dust rat bastard is going to get fired
and Matt Rhule is going to change the helmets back.”

It would be a powerful scene in the movie, too.
Another nice touch would be changing the Temple helmets back to  the popular TEMPLE era version (maybe with the school’s distinctive T on one side as a King Solomon-like Compromise) but that’s not a pressing need for Monday.
Cut to the final scene a few years later where a quarterback named P.J. Walker scrambles around and connects with a receiver named Khalif Herbin on a “Hail Mary” play in the end zone to win a BCS bowl game against Miami (Fla.).
Everybody goes crazy and Rhule, after a midfield handshake with old buddy Al Golden,  puts it in perspective.
“It’s just like the Doug Flutie play that beat Miami many years ago,” Rhule said. “Except we’re Boston College this time and our school gets put on the map and Boston College is pretty much in obscurity now, right?”
Chuckle, chuckle.
Fade to black.
Cut and print.
That’s a wrap.
Only in the movies?
Maybe, maybe not.

Tomorrow: Five things Rhule might change right away

12.07.12
by

Dec. 7: A day that would have lived in TU infamy

In retrospect, Temple would have said Aloha to $500K if Hawaii hadn’t backed out of a verbal agreement.

Steve Addazio leaving for BC is the best thing
that ever happened for P.J. Walker.

Seventy-one years ago today, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called Dec. 7 a day that would live in infamy.
He wasn’t talking Temple football because that day came a couple of months earlier for the Owls: Their last win over Penn State.
Yet, just from what happened this week, it might have applied to the current-day Owls, too.
Tonight, around midnight Philadelphia time, Temple was scheduled to play Hawaii in what would have been the Owls’ 12th game of the season. Hawaii backed out of a verbal agreement. In retrospect, that decision saved the Owls about a half-million dollars.
Knowing what you now know about Steve Addazio, how many assistants would have been around to coach this Temple team against Hawaii?
One? Two? Zero?
Remember, this is the same Addazio who said “don’t be passing through” and to “make Temple a destination school” and that Temple was his “dream job.”
He said all those things about Boston College this week. What a phony.
Five years (or less) from now, he’ll be saying the same thing about UConn if he doesn’t get fired first. My money is on the firing.
Already, Ryan Day is in Boston recruiting for Addazio.
So is Justin Frye.
Some Temple holdovers, like Chuck Heater, are holding down the fort at the E-O in this most important recruiting weekend of the year. I’ve met Chuck and talked to him. I think he’s professional enough to expouse the benefits of staying at Temple to these recruits. The same goes for recruiting coordinator Tyree Foreman, who was instrumental in getting quarterback P.J. Walker to commit to Temple.
To me, Addazio leaving for Boston College is the best thing to even happen to P.J. Walker. Addazio is probably the only dinosaur left among college football head coaches who run a 1901 offense (run, run, sack, punt) in 2012.

Great to see this tweet yesterday from one of TU’s  top-rated  recruits.

Chances are, the next Temple football head coach, whether he’s Mike MacIntrye, Dave Clawson, Matt Rhule or Mario Cristobal or someone else believe in chucking the football downfield and P.J. Walker will thrive in that system.
P.J. Walker and Temple are perfect together. The Owls lose all four quarterbacks on their depth chart after next year and P.J. would immediately slot into the starting job in 2014. In fact, he might see a lot of playing time in 2013.
So he’s better off staying and helping the new coach bring Temple a Big East championship soon.
So are the rest of the recruits.
Yesterday, a great pass-rusher, Tyler Haddock-Jones, tweeted that “of course” he was going to TU. Lord knows, Tyler and incoming NT Averee Robinson can make an impact along the defensive line and the Owls need immediate help there.
The same things Addazio said that made these guys commit to Temple are true today.
Just because Temple is no longer his dream home doesn’t mean that applies to the recruits who committed to a great school, not a flawed man.

Tomorrow: How the coaching dominoes affect the Temple field