Video courtesy of Owlified… great job, Owlified

Our parking lot is No. 10, the green blotch circled in map and shown in photo below.

Photo, courtesy Owlsports.com

I have a love/hate relationship with Cherry and White Day.
It dates back to the Bruce Arians’ days.
One year, the team looked particularly good in April and went out and laid a 4-7 egg a few months later.
It was then I decided I hated Cherry and White Day because, no matter how good the Cherry looked against the White or the White looked against the Cherry, the bigger picture was skewed.
A fellow reporter, it may have been Chuck Newman, it may have been Joe Juliano, I don’t quite remember who, turned to me once and said:
“They always look good on Cherry and White Day.”
There’s about as much truth to that sentence as any single one ever composed.
Come to think of it, I don’t remember ever leaving on a Cherry and White Day not impressed.
So, as a barometer of what might come in the fall, take it with a (very) large grain of salt.
Make that a boulder of salt.
That’s pretty much why I hate Cherry and White Day.
Then there’s the love part of the relationship.
I love getting together with Temple fans to discus the upcoming season.
I love meeting the parents of recruits and inviting them to our Parking Lot K tailgates, to become part of the Temple family as such.
I love the best day in the world in the best place in the world to do one-stop shopping for some inexpensive and quality Temple stuff, including game-worn jerseys.
I love the tailgating in April (hey, when can you get a chance to tailgate in April?) and I love getting together with all of the old tailgate friends.
I love the dedication of a guy like Ken Mayo, coolowl on the message boards, who holds a first-class tailgate and is inclusive of everyone in the lot.
Heck, I love being a Temple fan because there are no cliques.
We as a people (to borrow a Martin Luther King, Jr. phrase) are not large enough to have cliques.
One day, when all (or half) of the 260,000 living alumni and all (or half) of the 33,000 full-time students are clamoring to get into a sold out Lincoln Financial Field, I hope that part of being a Temple fan never changes.
Even though all of the lots will be filled with a sea of Cherry and White, everybody wearing a Temple T-shirt or sweatshirt or hat will be welcomed by every other Temple fan at whatever little or big satellite tailgate in the lot.
This Saturday, at 2 p.m. folks will be over at 11th and Norris Street to catch that rather skewed preview of the 2009 Owls.
By 11 a.m., most should be parked in Lot 10 (12th and Norris) to do some serious tailgating.
Nobody leaves until 1:55 when we all walk over to the $7 million Edberg-Olson Football Complex. Since it’s a two-minute walk, we should be standing on the sidelines by 1:58, tops.
Bring brewskis and money.

Temple football’s four-month countdown.

The people have spoken.
At least the Temple fans who occasionally check this site from time to time.
Someone in the sports information department will run a slogan by Al Golden, who will either approve it or improve it, and the slogan will appear on the front of the media guide.

Click here for Temple football season tickets and order them by June 12 to get a free 2009 media guide

If the fans voting on the recent poll have anything to say about it, “Unfinished Business” will be this year’s Battle Cry.

Here is the final vote count, with the number of actual votes next to the percentages:

Awe and Shock 2 (3%)

Shock and Awe 2 (3%)

Unfinished Business 19 (35%)

Bowl or Bust 9 (16%)

Sky’s The Limit 14 (26%)

Destination Detroit 7 (13%)

It took a couple of days getting use to, but I like it.

Unfinished Business.

My slogan, Shock and Awe, came in a distant last.

I tried.

We had a couple of other suggestions since, though, that bear some examination:
FLIP THE MAC _ A takeoff on last year’s “Flip The Switch” Flip the MAC refers to the constant barrage of negative messages about Temple football on the MAC bulletin boards. One guy keeps saying Temple=Bad Football when two teams he trumpets, Miami and Akron, were beaten two years in a row by the Owls. Another guy from Kent State keeps bringing up Temple attendance problems when there were maybe 400 folks, tops, at Kent State for the Temple game last year. The slogan can be accompanied by a logo that shows the familiar Styrofoam No. 1 finger given out at Temple basketball games. In this case, the finger is switched one digit over and a MAC logo appears on the back of the hand.

IT’S TIME _ Shortened version of “It’s Time To Win” or “It’s Our Time to Win” or “It’s T Time” with the Temple logo substituted for the T. I can’t argue with that, either, because it is time to win.

Unfinished Business captures what went on the last two seasons as good as anything.

Two years ago, the Owls left 28 points on the field in a 31-0 loss to Penn State.
Last year, the Owls didn’t finish after leading, 27-7, at Navy, in the fourth quarter.
This year it’s time to finish that business.
It’s Our Time.
It’s T Time.
If, in the process, it flips off the MAC, then so be that, too.

By Mike Gibson
I’m sure someone other than Bill Parcells said it first:
“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.”
I’ll give credit to Parcells because I like the way he says it, nodding his head like you all should know what he does.
“If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is a duck.”
You can say the same for quarterbacks.

Temple quarterbacks in their final high school seasons:
Adam DiMichele, Sto-Rox _ 2,706 yards and 36 touchdown passes.

In the mix currently:

Vaughn Charlton, Avon Grove _ 1,337 yards, 9 touchdown passes.

Chester Stewart, DeMatha _ 1,348 yards, 17 touchdown passes.

Aaron Haas, St. Joseph’s Prep _ 1,430 yards, 21 touchdown passes

Mike Gerardi, Parsippany Hills (N.J.) _ 2,300 yards, 35 touchdown passes

Chris Coyer, Oakton (Va.) _ 1,407 yards, 15 touchdown passes (and 15 TD runs)

Despite “defined measurables” like 40 speed and vertical leap, quarterbacking now, as always, is better measured by a poised athlete’s ability to hit another athlete in the open field while under pressure.
It doesn’t matter if the QB is running or if the receiver is running.
It doesn’t matter if there’s a 6-5, 280-pound guy charging at you.
Or, during the same play, all of the above is happening at full speed.
It’s about your ability to do your job and hit the receiver.
Meet Mike Gerardi, Temple’s Duck.
If Gerardi looks like a quarterback and throws like a quarterback, it’s because he is a quarterback and a pretty darn good one.

Mike Gerardi

It would not be a stretch to say Gerardi was born to be a quarterback.
He’s been one since Pee-Wee ball and excelled at a really high level from the time he first put on the pads.
I don’t buy that stuff about “if he’s so good, why didn’t he get a scholarship offer” that so many negative fans parrot.
Good quarterbacks slip through the cracks all the time. At one time, UConn showed some interest but backed off.
For every Henry Burris, who was wanted by just about everyone out of Spiro (Okla.), Temple has had a Matty Baker _ a kid who was wanted by no one but became a winning quarterback.
Looks to me like Gerardi could be cut out of the Baker mold, a high-achiever in high school who somehow slipped through the cracks.
At Parsippany Hills in New Jersey two years ago, Gerardi threw for 2,300 yards and 35 touchdown passes. That performance made him a first-team New Jersey all-state performer at quarterback. The other quarterback on the first team was Matt Simms of Don Bosco, son of Phil Simms.

“Really the surprise has been Mike Gerardi. He’s really come in. Every time he’s gotten in, he’s led us down and scored or played really well. So he’s getting a lot of reps now.” Matt Rhule
Offensive coordinator
Temple University

In prep school last fall, he tossed 16 TDs against no (zero) interceptions.
So, while most things in spring practice are pretty secretive these days, it should not be surprising to hear this out of offensive coordinator Matt Rhule’s mouth when talking about Gerardi on Owlsports.com:
“Really the surprise has been Mike Gerardi,” Rhule said. “He’s really come in. Every time he’s gotten in, he’s led us down and scored or played really well. So he’s getting a lot of reps now, because want to see who can lead us, who can move the football, who can push.”
That could very well be coachspeak, something designed to light a fire under incumbents Vaughn Charlton and Chester Stewart.
Even if Mike Gerardi lights it up in the Cherry and White Day game on April 18, we probably won’t even know then.

At this point, it’s about even money that Charlton, Stewart, Gerardi or even incoming freshman Chris Coyer takes the first snap against Villanova on Sept. 3.
That’s the way it should be.
Nobody should be awarded the job because he’s been here longer or it’s his turn or because his feelings will be hurt if he doesn’t get the chance.
It’s all about moving the team and scoring touchdowns.
It’s all about who gives your team the best chance to win a championship.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
Somebody is going to have to knock Rhule’s socks off between now and Sept. 3.
So far, it’s been Gerardi but we have months to go before we know who wins this most important of competitions.

By Mike Gibson
Occasionally, a brilliant idea will come upon me at a place I least expect.
Usually, just before I nod off in the middle of the night or while I’m driving my car.
Tough places to reach for the notepad and jot the fleeting idea down so the idea flies by and I sometimes don’t catch it again.
I was thinking about that while reflecting on last year’s Temple football team slogan.
You know, it’s the thing that appears on the cover of the media guide and in the ads for Temple football.
Last year’s slogan was “Flip the Switch.”
Good, but not great.
I want everything about Temple to be the best in the Mid-American Conference.
I want us to have the most wins, the most fans, the best quarterback, the best offense, the best defense.
I want us to have the best slogan, too.
Flip the Switch, while good, was lacking something.
I could not put my finger on it, but it wasn’t inspiring.
All winter, I brainstormed looking for another slogan.
I could come up with nothing.
I thought of “Just Win, Baby” but I’m sure Al Davis has a copyright on that one.
Unfinished business was another.
Then something occurred to me a couple of weeks ago while watching television.
Semaj Inge was being interviewed after winning the A-10 tournament.
“Sky’s The Limit,” Inge said, referring to the Owls’ chances in the NCAAs.
Hmm, I thought.
“Sky’s The Limit” might be a damn good slogan for this year’s Temple football team.
With three excellent recruiting classes in place and for the first time a sizeable group of redshirts to help the 2009 team, the sky is really the limit for this football team.
If Flip the Switch was good, then Sky’s The Limit is great.
Then, while turning into the parking lot of the gym last night, I thought of an even better one.
“Awe and Shock.”
Temple having a winning or championship season won’t shock us or anybody associated with the program, but it would everyone on the outside.
The “awe” part comes into play with the terrific skill set our players have both on offense and defense.
Awe leads to shock.
That’s why I would pick “Awe and Shock” over “Shock and Awe.”
Think of James Nixon, Vaughn Carraway and Jason Harper catching long touchdown bombs from Vaughn Charlton, Chester Stewart or Chris Coyer.
Awe.
Or Kee-ayre Griffin showing the kind of running form in the open field that made him a consensus first-team all-state tailback in New Jersey for St. Peter’s Prep.
Awe.
Or Daryl Robinson intercepting a pass in the flat and returning it for six.
More than once.
Awe.
So the potential for awe is there.
If realized, the Owls can shock the world.
Awe and shock is my first choice. Sky’s The Limit is No. 2.
Those are my top two choices for this year’s slogan.
Either way, I’ve got “Flip the Switch” beat.
What’s yours?

By Mike Gibson
That puff of white smoke coming from the Edberg-Olson Football Complex today was not exhaust from the train station above, but the rather important annoucement that the Owls’ 2009 football schedule has finally been released.
The Mid-American Conference released the schedule at 2:36 p.m. today or about 20 minutes ago.
Last year, they released the schedule on March 11.
Both years, the MAC was the last league to release season schedules.
The holdup?
Waiting for league braintrust to formulate various deals to keep games on national TV.

2009 Temple Football Schedule
Sep.
3 Villanova, 7 p.m.

19 at Penn State

26 Buffalo

Oct.
3 at Eastern Michigan

10 Ball State

17 Army (Homecoming)

24 at Toledo

31 at Navy

Nov.
5 Miami, 7:30 pm (ESPNU*)

13 at Akron, 8 pm (ESPNU)

21 Kent State

27 at Ohio, tbd (ESPNU/ESPN360*)

*ESPN Multiple-Game Selection Date

In one example, Miami was supposed to host Colorado. Kentucky wanted to play a game against Miami in Cincinnati, so that MAC had to find another league opponent for Colorado. They found one in Toledo.
That’t the way these things work.
Temple will open its season on Thursday night, Sept. 3, at Lincoln Financial Field against Villanova. That much we knew weeks ago.
What we didn’t know until today was exactly who the league opponents will be for the Owls.
They will host Buffalo, Ball State, Miami and Kent State.
They will visit Ohio, Akron, Eastern Michigan and Toledo.

Vaughn Carraway, in a Christmas visit to St. Christopher’s Hospital with fellow Owls, is third from the right.

The last time we saw any glimpse of Temple football future the room was dark and the screen was running highlights of the 2009 football recruits.
Between the oohs and ahhs coming from the assembled big-money donors in attendance on national signing day (I was an interloper in that regard), I could tell people were impressed.
“They all look like they can play at USC,” I said, breaking the silence from row four.

(Some) key returning Redshirts for the Owls:
Deven Baker, RS-FR, WR
Matt Balasavage, RS-SO, TE
Morris Blueford, RS-SO, DE
Marcus Brown, RS-JR, OL
Vaughn Charlton, RS-JR, QB
Vaughn Carraway, RS-FR, WR
C.J. Hammond, RS-FR, WR
Dave Nwasike, RS-JR, DT
John Palumbo, RS-SO, OL
Evan Rodriguez, RS-SO, TE
Jared Williams, RS-SO, CB
Lawrence Turner, RS-FR, TE

Heck, but that’s the nature of high school highlight reels.
I could see the Bill Cosby commercial now.
They could have gone to USC, but they chose Temple.
Then coach Al Golden got up, essentially said he couldn’t give two whits about what the scouting services are saying and that this was far and away his best recruiting class. (Not that the scouting services are pooh-pooing this class since Scout.com has the Owls rated No. 2 in the MAC behind only Central Michigan, but after having won three MAC recruiting titles in a row, people were wondering whether or not Al lost a little of his recruiting magic.)
Golden justified it by saying that his staff went out and identified athletes based on their upside and not necessarily on what stats they may or may not have accumulated so far.
The good news is that the Owls won’t have to rely on that impressive class to make key contributions this year.
Essentially, the 2009 Owls are on display almost every day at the Edberg-Olson football complex.

Huge crowd in Buffalo watches Joe Jones run in the open field.
Owlsports.com photo

Seventeen of the 21 starters from the 2008 season return, bolstered by 15 high-quality players the Owls had the luxury of redshirting.
The Redshirts are coming, including Vaughn Carraway, the top receiver in Pennsylvania two years ago and others.
That’s some damn good reinforcements right there.
Chief among those is Vaughn Charlton, a not-so-secret weapon who was the starting quarterback on the varsity for much of the 2007 season.
His poise and confidence under pressure as a backup in the win over Miami (Ohio) and subsequent games like the wire-to-wire win over Kent State give Owl fans some hope for the 2009 season.
Hope, but not hype.
One of the young men standing near Charlton during most practices is Chris Coyer, who is absorbing as much mentally now so he can focus on the physical come July and August. Coyer has to be given a lot of credit for getting up at 4:30 every morning and driving from D.C. to Philadelphia during breaks at Oakton (Va.) High.
Coyer is the raw talent, while Charlton is the more polished product. Adam DiMichele has taken Coyer under his wing.
Expecting Coyer to come in and start is not fair to the young man, in my opinion. Temple’s one and only goal should be winning the MAC title and the last freshman to start and win a title as a QB was Bowling Green’s Brian McClure in 1982.
I don’t like those odds.
Adam DiMichele, in my mind, was a once-in-a-generation quarterback who will be sorely missed and the 2008 Owls deserved some major hype coming into the season because he was the ignition to this machine.
I asked Golden about Charlton on signing day, posing the question this way:
“A lot of us fans haven’t seen Vaughn Charlton in two years. What kind of quarterback has he become in the year since?”
Golden looked me in the eye and said: “Vaughn’s been working hard in the weight room and he’s 238 pounds, stronger, more confident.”
Not exactly the ringing endorsement I was hoping for, but he later mollified that comment in an illuminating audio with Owlscoop.com editor John DiCarlo, when he said: “Even though we lost Adam and everybody thinks the sky is falling, I’m impressed with our two returning quarterbacks.”
Hmm, I wonder who Golden was referring to when he said everybody?
These Owls will go as far as the returning players and Redshirts take them.

The thought here is that Charlton’s productivity will be a shade below DiMichele’s, but that the overall Temple product could be more appealing due to the depth and quality at other positions on the field.
I want to see continued improvement from running backs Kee-ayre Griffin and Joe Jones and I would like to see the breakaway runner Ahkeem Smith was when I saw him playing at Bethlehem Liberty. It would be nice if Jones showed the kind of breakaway speed that made him a Boca Raton legend. Maybe his injury is fully healed now. We can only hope.
That’s what’s being hashed out at the E-O. All practices are open only to Temple football alumni, Xtra Point Club members, and high school coaches, provided the individuals register in Edberg-Olson Hall before visiting the field. Practices are closed to the general public, but the adventurous can make out the goings on through the green canvas screen or the Temple train station above.
Meanwhile, the recruiting connections Golden established while an assistant at Penn State, Boston College and Virginia are continuing to bear fruit for the Owls.
A glimpse at the updated roster on Owlsports.com reveals Evan Rodriquez, a three-star recruit at West Virginia has transferred in as has Zack Kane, a safety from the real Miami (Fla.) and Keith Baker, a linebacker from Louisville.
Maybe good enough to play at USC, but they were certainly good enough to be recruited by West Virginia, Louisville and Miami and that’s a sign that Golden is relentless in his search for talent.
That kind of competition within only bodes well for Owl fans and ill for Owl foes.

By Mike Gibson
The illuminating moment came at halftime of a recent Temple vs. St. Joseph’s basketball game at the Liacouras Center.
Temple football coach Al Golden, surrounded by 15 of his best returning football players, got up in front of 9,389 fans and said this:
“There’s one thing both St. Joe and Temple fans agree on … we dislike Villanova. I invite all of you to come to our game on Sept. 3 and cheer for us.”
Notice he said dislike.

“There’s one thing both St. Joe and Temple fans agree on … we dislike Villanova. I invite all of you to come to our game on Sept. 3 and cheer for us.”
_ Al Golden
In Villanova preparation, the Owls are focusing on the kneel-down play. Above, Golden shows Vaughn Charlton the proper technique during practice on Tuesday (only kidding, Cat fans).

Golden didn’t say hate because he was trying to be politically correct, but you know he wanted to and that’s a good sign because it’s an indication that Golden gets it.
He’s from Colts Neck, N.J., went to Red Bank Catholic and he could be excused for not understanding the, err, deep feeling not resembling affection Temple and St. Joseph fans on this side of the river have for those on the Main Line.
It’s an indication that Golden has been here on the Philly side of the river long enough to get it.
For all we know, they feel the same way about us.
Rivalries are a good thing.

When Temple and Villanova play for the Mayor’s Cup, it’s good to know that the coach representing the fans behind him knows that losing this game is not an option.
Heck, he must now know that an all-time beat down is his only directive.
To quote Bill Parcells off the Coors Light commercial, “that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”

Tuesday’s New Jersey lottery (March 3, 2009) is $212 million. I try not to go into New Jersey, if I can avoid it, so I got a friend and co-worker to buy five quickpicks for the Megaball. UPDATE as of March 4: I hit the Megaball!, which was No. 10. Unfortunately, that’s all I hit. That should net me a cool $2. As promised, half will go to Temple. I will keep trying to hit the big one, though. This is an oldie-but-goodie (or at least a lot of you have said so) post I wrote when the Pennsylvania powerball reached $365 million in 2006. Some hick from West Virginia won it then. He won it, squandered it already and had all sorts of bad things happen to him. I would have put it to much better use.
This block serves as my binding legal promissory note to give half of the $212 million or cash equivalent to Temple football. Temple lawyers won’t even have to take me to court. As soon as the $212 million or the cash option is in my bank account, I will transfer half to Temple via the Xtra Point Club. People who know me understand that I always have been a man of my word. Money won’t change that.
The following post first appeared on this site in 2006:
_Mike Gibson

By Mike Gibson
As a young man, I was into the music of Chapin.
Not Chopin. Chapin. Harry Chapin.
Saw him at a concert at the old Temple University Music Festival. He played there about six or seven times and I saw every Chapin concert.
There was something about his music that touched a, pardon the expression, chord with me.
All My Life’s A Circle, Taxi, etc., great, great songs.
A Chapin concert was an almost spiritual experience. No one put on a show like Harry. He’d do six, seven, eight encores. Plenty of good-looking women at these concerts, too. Just a fun, fun time.
As long as the roadies and the crew were into it, Harry would play.
The songs, to me, are timeless.
There was one thing, though, I wondered about Harry, who died in an automobile accident on the Long Island Expressway on July 16, 1981.
After every concert, there’d be a big gathering in the back of the tent, what is now the Ambler Campus parking lot. Chapin would sell T-Shirts and other memorabilia to combat “World Hunger.”
At first, I was really into it.
“Yeah, let’s eliminate world hunger,” I’d say after the first year.
Then the second year came.
And the third.
And the fourth.
Harry collected all this money and world hunger was getting worse, not better.
Billions and billions of dollars were collected for world hunger by well-meaning Harry Chapins of the world and it was not solving the problem.
Heck, it wasn’t even making a dent into the problem.
I came to the conclusion that there are some things you could throw money at and not make a difference, like World Hunger.
That there are other problems that money could solve.
Like Temple Football.
After that Epiphany, I came to the conclusion if I ever had millions I could throw half of what I had toward Temple football and I could solve much of what had ailed the Owls over these last 25 years.Think about it. Saturday’s powerball is now $365 million. If I win, I promise right now to give Temple football, via the Xtra Point Drive, half.
What could Temple football buy with a, say, $182 million donation?

Here are some ideas:
• Half payment (about $90 million) on a 40K campus stadium, to be completed sometime after Temple’s current 15-year lease runs out at Lincoln Financial Field;
• 10,000 season tickets to be given to the 10,000 students currently living on campus or players on high school football teams in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware in order to create a cadre of young fans;
• Enough commercial minutes to sponsor live TV for every Temple road game (to also help build a following);
• A weekly coaches show on Comcast with current coach Al Golden providing highlights and commentary on each Owl game;
• A revolving contract that would reward Golden, and his staff, based on performance and guarantee that if the performance (i.e., wins) warrants it, Temple would have the financial resources to match whatever offer he’d get elsewhere.

Unlike its impact on world hunger, money would help Temple build a following and win and winning would solve Temple’s football image problem.
It bears repeating the powerball for Saturday is $365 million.
I know there’s not a snowball’s chance in heck I’ll win but, if I do, do I really need the $365 million to live a lifestyle that would make me happy?
Heck no.
All I need is a modest hurricane-proof house in the Tampa area for seven months a year, a new Subaru and a new place in the Poconos.
The Florida house would be $500K, the Subaru $20K, the place in the Poconos $500K. Max. Throw in a couple million a year for spending money for the next 10 years and I’m good to go.What else would make me happy?
A rampaging group of angry Owls kicking some serious college football butt, exacting their revenge for 15 years of humiliation with 15 years of glorious victories.
I know it’s selfish, but it’s my money.
I’d settle for half the lottery winnings, minus annuity and taxes and the like and give half to Temple football.
Sorry, world hunger.
Been there, done that.

Highlight video of Jerry Watters, Camden Catholic.
By Mike Gibson
By Wednesday, you’ll be reading the list of Temple football recruits in the two major Philadelphia newspapers.
That will be a rough draft because it doesn’t become official until the signed National Letters of Intent reach the Edberg-Olson Center at Temple University.
By Wednesday at 4 p.m., the list will be a rock-solid one of commitments with signed signatures.
I’ve gone over the lists of the two scouting services and come up with information on 90 percent of the class. If I’ve left out one or two guys, I apologize and we’ll get to you after your signatures are received.
With that in mind, here’s a sneak peak at your 2009 Temple Owls:
CODY BOHLER, OL, Immaculata (N.J.) High _ This 6-foot-7, 300-pound behemoth came up with one of the two best recruiting quotes of the season. “I’m super excited for Temple,” the Somerville, N.J. native said. “They are the greatest bunch of guys I’ve ever met.” More importantly, he’ll pancake any defender headed for a Cherry and White quarterback. Opened huge holes for Notre Dame RB recruit Theo Riddick. They’ll likely close once Riddick gets to South Bend.
LEVI BROWN, DL, Bethlehem Liberty _ Extremely athletic for a 6-3, 312 body and comes from the same school as Temple sophomore running back Ahkeem Smith, so there is a familiarity and comfort level at Temple for him. Also led his team to a large school state championship. Probably has the ability to play right away or at least compete for a starting spot.
BLAZE CAPONEGRO, FB/LB, Wall Township (N.J.) _ Gotta love the 4.5 speed for a fullback, who one paper referred to as the “best fullback in the state” and that’s when he was a junior. We’ve chronicled his achievements here before. He was named Asbury Park Press Offensive Player of the Year. In his final high school game, he carried the ball 40 times for 397 yards and four touchdowns. Probably will get the Owls a lot of first downs on third and twos and fourth and ones.

CHRIS COYER, QB, Oakton (Va.) _ Despite what you hear from one naysayer (not even a Temple fan, we understand) on the Scout.com message board, was offered a scholarship by Ohio State as a “condition of a visit” a week ago. The specific coaches were coach Nick Siciliano and coach Joe Daniels, assistants to Jim Tressel. If you run into either, ask them. The offer was tendered and it was real and firm. It doesn’t matter, though. All that matters is that Temple now has two quarterbacks in this class who can throw AND run at a high level. That’s two more than they had after Adam DiMichele played his last game. Extremely smart kid who can figure out complicated mathematical equations in his head. Great-great uncle was the late Dr. Harry A. Cochran, Dean of the Business School at Temple from 1939-60.
KADEEM CUSTIS, OL, Neumann-Goretti _ An argument can be made that Kadeem is the jewel of this class, if you go by the stars and we’re not talking astrology here. Custis is, depending upon the scouting service, a three- or four-star recruit. He’s 6-5, 275 and he can run. Offered by West Virginia, North Carolina State and Pitt but chose Temple.
ELIJAH GRANT, OL, Piscataway, N.J. _ Teammate of heralded Owl defensive end Aaron Hush, who is also part of this incoming class. Grant is 6-5 and 340 and a punishing run-blocker.
AARON HUSH, DE, Piscataway, N.J. _ Hush is the defensive player of the year as named by two large Central New Jersey newspapers, the Bridgewater Courier-News and the Home News of New Brunswick. He’s 6-4, 211 pounds and extremely quick to the quarterback. I’ve always said that the key to winning in football, taking turnovers out of the equation, is protecting your quarterback’s backside and putting the other guy’s quarterback on his ass. Grant and Custis will do the former; Hush the latter.
ALEX JACKSON, DE/TE, New Berlin, N.Y. (via Fla.) _ Temple coach Al Golden offered Jackson upon seeing him play a basketball game in Florida. Not unheard of since former Dallas Cowboy Cornell Green never played football until he arrived in Dallas and Gil Brandt offered him a contract based on Green’s college basketball. Green became an all-pro. Jackson is a super athlete, a 6-4, 215-pound end, with great hands and 4.4 speed. Not too many quarterbacks (read: none) will be running away from him.
MARCUS GREEN, LB, Scotch Plains, N.J. _ A guy who had an amazing 16 tackles in a 26-20 win over Warren Hills on Nov. 15. I like that. I’ll take performance on the field over 40 speed and vertical leap any day. A good enough pedigree and perfect size (6-1, 225) and speed (4.53 40) to compete for one of the linebacker spots.
MAURICE JONES, DB, Chatham, Va. _ Comes from one of the best high school football leagues on the Eastern seaboard and was also recruited (and offered by a number of BCS schools). Signed with the Owls last year, but is back after a brief stop at Hargrave Military Academy (Va.). Is 5-10 and 178 and will probably compete for a cornerback spot.
BRANDON McMANUS, K, North Penn _ All you need to know that about Brandon is that he was rated the No. 3 kicker in the country last summer. It’s also nice to know that McManus had 58 touchbacks in 70 attempts last year for the 14-1 Knights. You can count the number of touchbacks Temple kickers had last year on one hand, minus the thumb.
DEON MILLER, WR, Fork Union, Va. _ Gives the Owls what they haven’t had in recent years, a 6-6 wide receiver who is a blitz-buster. All Temple quarterbacks will have to do is see the blitz, time a pass to Miller (ala Plaxico Burris) and any sane defensive coordinator will call off the dogs.
GARY ONUEKWUSI, LB, Baltimore Dunbar _ At 6-1, 215, this linebacker is a freak of an athlete whose highlights are available on Utube and pretty easily accessed. They are the only highlights connected with any Onuekwusi in the world. He was a first-team LB on the Baltimore Sun’s All-Metro team.
BYRON PARKER, DB, Virginia Beach _ Also a defensive back who received numerous BCS offers, Parker ended up at Temple due to some solid legwork by Al Golden, who tracked him down via contacts at the University of Virginia. Parker is listed as an “athlete” by Temple, so he could play DB, offense or special teams. He’s 5-11, 173 and scary fast (4.45 40).
DEONTE PARKER, Lakeland (Fla.) _ A DB not to be confused with Byron (no relation), Deonte was the unquestioned defensive star of the Lakeland (Fla.) Dreadnaughts, the USA Today’s No. 1 team of the 2004 season. He took a long and winding road to Temple, via California, but we’re glad he’s here.
CHRIS PARTHEMORE, TE, Camp Hill, PA _ Gotta love a 6-4, 275-pound tight end with great hands and 4.7 speed and Owl fans will. First team Harrisburg Patriot-News all-area tight end.
SHAHID PAULHILL, DT, North Catholic _ One of five Temple Owls who started in last year’s Big 33 game. He made a pair of solo stops and three assisted tackles in the win over Ohio’s best high school players. He’s 6-4, 275 and eligible to play spring ball after a season at Fork Union.
BERNARD PIERCE, TB, Glen Mills _ One of the sleepers in the class, if you can call a sleeper a guy who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. Glen Mills plays an independent schedule and, even though it is located in suburban Philadelphia doesn’t get much coverage in the local media, except for this story. Pierce is legit, though, a speedster who shows up at the leader of the sprints every week in the Philadelphia Track and Field Coaches Association rankings.
GEOFFREY PRATHER, LB, Archbishop Carroll _ A big-time linebacker out of the Philadelphia Catholic League a year ago, Prather honed his skills at Valley Forge Military Academy this past season and put himself in a position to win a starting job on Mark D’Onofrio’s defense. He’s 6-2, 196 and runs a 4.6 40. Decked out in all that Temple Owl garb, the former first-team All-Catholic has the best mug shot on this page.
DARRYL PRINGLE, OL, Reading High _ He’s 6-7, 300 pounds and athletic. Golden spotted him during a basketball agility drill at the Al Golden Camp during the summer, called him over, and offered him a scholarship on the spot. Has improved every year. Made second-team all-league two years ago and first-team all-league this season so he’s combining raw talent with technique.
EVAN REGAS, OL, Toms River (N.J.) _ In the same league, both literally and figuratively, as Wall Township’s Cody Bohler both in their size (6-4, 323) and enthusiasm to make an impact at Temple.
JERRY WATTERS, WR, Camden Catholic _ Watters has potential to make an immediate impact as a punt returner and slot receiver. The 5-foot-10, 167-pounder has 4.5 speed and dynamic moves in the open field. His film reminds me of former Widener (and Atlanta Falcons) star, Billy “White Shoes” Johnson. Maybe call him Jerry “Running” Watters. Or not. He was the first verbal of the Class of 2009.
Others scheduled to arrive who we haven’t found photos and/or news stories of include Jeffrey Whittingham (DT, Atlantic City), Ryan Murray (Bok), Kwame Johnson (Valley Forge Military Academy) and Justin Gildea (Hollidaysburg).