Tag Archives: Clayton Barnes

01.26.26
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Temple football makes G5 history in a good way

The headline in the Philadelphia Inquirer addressed the biggest piece of news: Roster retention.

Those of a certain age in Philadelphia sports remember the biggest literal balancing act in history, Karl Wallenda, who walked across the top of Veterans Stadium on a high wire without a net.

Temple head coach K.C. Keeler is of that certain age and now he is in charge of a figurative high-wire act that is almost as impressive, navigating a transfer portal without the net of SEC or Big 10 type money.

Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that Temple football hasn’t done very much of anything since the transfer portal’s arrival in 2017.

That was one year after the Owls hoisted a championship trophy and the Owls struggled not only with opponents on the field but a revolving door at the $17 million Edberg Olson Practice facility.

No more.

Keeler said a lot of interesting things six days ago in his transfer portal wrap, but none more interesting than this quote: “We were one of the few G5 teams to keep our all starters.”

Hmm.

That got me thinking.

“Few?”

Nobody in the G5 keeps their starters anymore so we had to dig deep to find out if the key word was “few” or “any” and the latter turned out to be true.

A G5 team without P4 money in the era of the transfer portal is the kind of balancing act we see here.

Temple was the ONLY G5 team that kept all of its starters out of the transfer portal–with a qualifier. The starters applied to only the last game of the season and not guys who started single games before that.

Then we went over the rosters of G5 teams since 2017 and couldn’t find a single team that was able to keep all of its starters from the final game of the previous season from hitting the transfer portal.

Of course, Temple lost quite a few starters the more traditional way (graduation and expired eligibility) but, in this era of the G5 being used as a farm system for the P4, what Keeler and company have done is very impressive.

It speaks to the culture Keeler has been able to develop in a single year.

It also says something about the culture before that as Rod Carey was a “my way or the highway” guy and Stan Drayton was pretty much a fatalist when it came to losing players.

Temple could have the top TE in the country in 2026 with Peter Clarke.

Keeler tells the players to keep the main thing the main thing during the season–concentrating on winning–and that he and General Manager Clayton Barnes will figure out the side thing once the season is over. Also, Keeler gave last year’s players the kind of rope they didn’t get this year because, he said, “of the coaching change.”

Then, after the spring game, he shut the faucet off, saying that “now that the players have gotten to know me, once they enter the portal they are not coming back.”

There are exceptions to every rule and, this year, third-string quarterback Tyler Douglas was one. One he was told he didn’t fit into the QB plans, he hit the portal. At the same time, Keeler told him if he was willing to switch to WR, he would be welcome back.

Douglas came back and will battle for a WR slot. Keeler gave tight end Peter Clarke–ranked among the top 10 in the country at his position–a lot of credit in both keeping the locker room together and recruiting a few key transfer portal recruits.

Of course, roster retention on a 5-7 team is a double-edged sword, You want to keep starters and allow the backups to have other places to play all while at the same time upgrading the roster through both high school recruiting and the transfer portal.

Temple appears to have struck that balance and, in its own way, a kind of high-wire act more impressive than Wallenda’s.

Friday: Trust but Verify

Monday: A Coaching Matchup to Remember

01.23.26
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The Keeler Presser’s Most Surprising Answer

I suspect some of these folks are the heroes Temple needs right now.

Now that their offseason personnel work is done, Temple football fans finally got a chance to hear some questions and answers.

Some were predictable.

Some came out of left field.

First, the predictable.

As we speculated in this space way back in December, we figured that Temple–specifically athletic director Arthur Johnson–was caught with pants down the day he received a call from Birmingham Bowl officials asking if Temple was interested in playing Georgia Southern.

For the record, this site anticipated that call because Temple players were not only in the classroom but killing it while there. (Unlike the Miami QB who admitted to not attending a class in two years.) After the season was over, we wrote that Temple might not receive a bowl call but, as a 5-7 team with a good academic record, it should be prepared just in case.

Head coach K.C. Keeler’s answer to that question was illuminating because he indicated by the time Keeler got the call Appalachian State already accepted.

That’s all I needed to know because, a week ago, we wrote that’s exactly the way we expected Keeler to answer the question and, if he did, that indicated that the fault was that the Temple administration wasn’t prepared for such a call.

Inexcusable.

This should have been buttoned down long before Bowl Selection Sunday. Johnson should have told President John Fry that the call was possible and that the university should say yes.

Why?

Because I–and almost all of the computer models–felt that Temple would have kicked the living crap out of Georgia Southern (unlike the non-competitive App State squad) and that would have jump-started momentum and possibly season-ticket sales–into the 2026 season.

We will never know because someone higher up than Keeler fumbled the ball.

Now to the good part.

Keeler indicated that he and General Manager Clayton Barnes “met with a group of donors” last week.

My reaction?

“We have donors?”

It’s nearly February, which means the Keelers will return to this boardwalk in Bethany Beach, Delaware for the annual Solar Plunge like this photo from 11 months ago. Hopefully, they will find a Temple grad there with bucoo bucks and a Yacht docked nearby.

As someone who worked his way through Temple on two part-time jobs and slept (maybe) an average of four hours a night and STILL scrounged my couch to find tokens to get to school, hard to believe we have donors.

But, according to Keeler, we do.

(Hell, if I parlayed those tokens and that degree into a multimillion business like the hero who gave $55 million to the College of Heath in October, my $55 million would have gone into the football program and not a penny for the COH or even Temple basketball but I chose the newspaper business about 20 years too late and I’ve returned to my scrounging for tokens days.)

Because, in college football these days, donors might be more important than even players or coaches and their very existence at this so-called “commuter” school is an indication of more wins in the future.

Until sanity is restored, it’s not the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s and the X’s and O’s that win anymore in college football.

It’s the money. If you want to get to the other side, you have to play the game the way it is and not the way you want it to be.

I’ll accept that only for now and hope we get back to room, board and tuition and what amateur sports is supposed to be all about sooner than later.

Monday: The Personnel Piece

01.18.26
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Good News for Temple fans: Some answers

For the first time since a tersely worded statement about a bowl game miscommunication, Temple fans will be hearing from their beloved football program.

Really, it was longer than that, because that statement came with no answers and only generated more questions.

Both Temple head coach K.C. Keeler and General Manager Clayton Barnes will be meeting with the media on Tuesday to answer questions really for the first time since the December signing day.

That’s a long time ago. It’s been radio silence ever since.

Ostensibly, the questions will be about the roster additions and, while that is important, the No. 1 question should be about the bowl game.

Grayson Mains (57) has been the bulwark for the Owls OL the past two seasons. RU’s John Stone wants that job. That should be a key position battle.

Here’s my five:

One, “K.C., did you hear about the bowl game offer BEFORE or AFTER App State accepted that bid?”

(That’s important to determine who fumbled the ball, Arthur Johnson or somebody else? If K.C. was asked before and he said something like “I need time to think about it” then that’s understandable. If, on the other hand, Johnson told the Birmingham Bowl people that he needed to ask permission from President John Fry, that indicates Temple wasn’t ready for the call.)

Two, “K.C., would you have said yes if asked?”

(Knowing K.C.’s competitive nature, I would guess yes, but it would be nice to get that answer on the record.)

Now we can get to the business of the day:

Who will apply the kind of pressure on the QB in 2026 that Badmus, Stewart, Poteat and Kromah did in 2025?

Three, “Would you have liked for one of the two quarterbacks you signed to have been a high-achieving FCS or DII guy and what were the obstacles that prevented that?”

(That question is open-ended, which means it cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Meaning, we might get an insight about whether the Owls were willing to spend $300,000 on a QB again. Everything Temple has done at the most important position on the field indicates it hopes someone will get the job done vs. someone who already did get the job done on a college football field.)

Four, “It looks like John Stone of Rutgers is your top offensive line acquisition. If Grayson Mains beats him out, can Stone play another position on the OL? Can Mains?”

(Obviously, if either can play another position, the OL improves.)

Five, “Who do you see fulfilling the pass-rushing roles previously held by guys like Poteat, Stewart, Badmus and Kromah and are those potential upgrades?”

(I don’t see any pass rushers, but this is a question probably better directed to Barnes who might.)

Bonus question: “Six, you indicated before that if any players entered the portal they would not be welcomed back. What made Tyler Douglas the exception to that rule?”

(Expect that answer to be something about Douglas being willing to switch positions to WR.)

Thanks, K.C.

Don’t wait until spring ball to have another one of these.

Friday: Analyzing The Answers

12.04.25
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A Signing Day that could not have gone better

Lamar Best could pull a Bear Bachmeier (BYU) and be 11-1 as a true freshman starting quarterback.

Based on what happened Wednesday inside the Edberg-Olson Practice Facility, Temple is going to have a pretty good football team in 2026.

Certainly, better than the 5-7 product we saw in 2025.

That’s because Temple signed the No. 1 recruiting class–objectively, because that was determined by the 247.com rankings–in the American Conference and 21 of those 32 signees will be enrolled in the school by January, giving them a head start both in the weight room and with the program’s culture.

Signing day 2025 could not have gone better because of that.

It was a history-making class for at least a couple of reasons.

At No. 63 nationally, it was the highest ranked class Temple has had since Steve Addazio was able to bring in the No. 54 class after the 2011 New Mexico Bowl win over Wyoming. (Prior to that, Al Golden brought in a No. 52 class after the 2009 Eagle Bank Bowl game against UCLA.)

That was all in the middle of an historic Temple bowl run, which saw the Owls attain bowl eligibility for nine of 11 seasons. By comparison, Temple hasn’t been eligible for a bowl this decade and it is a decade that is getting pretty old.

Clayton Barnes showed every Temple fan why K.C. Keeler wouldn’t have taken the Owl job if he didn’t come along. He is the Howie Roseman of college football.

What determines the product on the field, though, will be the next signing day early in January when the Owls reap whatever they can sow from the transfer portal.

Probably the marquee pick of the 32 is St. Joseph’s (N.J.) Regional state champion quarterback Lamar Best, who played in a high school league every bit as good as the one current BYU true freshman Bear Bachmeier played at Murietta Valley (Calif.). Best not only knocked off national power Don Bosco in the state title game, he had a very similar sophomore season to Bachmeier in high school. Bachmeier threw for 2,853 yards and 26 touchdowns at Murietta while Best, then at Willingboro, threw for 2,607 and 35 touchdowns.

Whoever Temple brings in could very well lose the starting job to Best but the Owls probably won’t risk that scenario. To me, after an examination of both his film and the last true freshman Temple starter, P.J. Walker, he’s at least as good a passer but a far better runner. Walker was a true drop back passer in comparison to what Best can do with his legs.

The fact that neither head coach K.C. Keeler nor recruiting guru Clayton Barnes want to leave the results of the 2026 season on a true freshman indicates the soundness of their roster approach. They brought in two other great high school quarterbacks, Brody Norman and Brady Palmer.

The only “cinch” starter among the group appears to be Upper Moreland High punter extraordinaire Luke Sword. If he doesn’t punt much, the Owls are either scoring touchdowns or kicking field goals and those are the preferable options.

If nothing else happens, they will need an experienced winning No. 1 quarterback. Keeler said they will bring in two.

If this is Luke Sword’s first punt at Temple, I won’t be mad.

Refreshing to hear for Temple fans who were absolutely screwed by Rod Carey when Anthony Russo went down and felt the same level of de ja vu with Stan Drayton when E. J. Warner missed several games with an injury. Temple will never be one hit away from a season-ending injury with Keeler as head coach.

Whether that quarterback is from the P4, G5 or even the FCS, it doesn’t matter. If anyone doubts K.C. Keeler’s ability to do that, we only need to refer you to the acquisition of Gevani McCoy. That came days after the Owls lost current Heisman Trophy candidate Trinidad Chambliss to Ole Miss.

McCoy earned the admiration of every Temple fan in that he battled holdover Evan Simon to a virtual standoff before the opener at UMass, lost his job, and became a good soldier in supporting his teammates until the end.

Temple needs someone like that, who is good enough to beat out a true freshman with all the talent in the world or back him up as insurance in case he gets hurt. Someone with the character of a McCoy.

If nothing else happens, the floor is six wins. The ceiling with an experienced winning college quarterback is double digits.

If the next recruiting season (portal) is as exciting as the one concluded on Wednesday, Temple fans are in for a treat. They will need to get off the sugar high of the last treat and a month should be enough time.

Monday: Room At The Top

Friday: Burying The Lead

11.30.25
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Season post-mortem: Good, so close to great

Plenty of good to like about K.C. Keeler’s first season as Temple head coach, so the grade has to be a Solid B.

Good, but could have been better so no A.

Refs also made a mistake in the Navy game that was just as important as Temple not kicking the field goal.

The Owls finished 5-7 and were only three knees away from 6-6 and a bowl game.

We’ve harped on this before, so won’t spend more than one or two sentences on the Navy game. Tied, 24-24, with 1:16 left and a first-and-goal from the 1, the obvious move was to take three knees and get that clock down to about 20 seconds before kicking a field goal from extra point distance to win it, 27-24.

Carl Hardin then squibs the ensuing kickoff, and Navy does the five backward passes on the kickoff that never works and somebody like Curly Ordonez falls on the ball to end the game. Then Hardin gets carried off the field, the Homecoming crowd of nearly 27,000 goes home happy and maybe a good portion of those folks come back for the final two games.

Wasn’t to be.

The worst errors are the unforced ones and that was doozy of the year. Didn’t buy Keeler’s post-game explanation that the Owls didn’t practice the kneel down and he wasn’t comfortable doing it. That was the same play the Owls executed flawlessly at the end of four of their five wins, so they must’ve practiced it. That was the difference between 6-6 and maybe playing another 6-6 team in a bowl game and getting about three weeks extra practice time for next year.

Live and learn.

Temple was 3 points away from beating three bowl teams (Navy, Army, UTSA, which they did beat) and a 7-5 record.

The one-point Army loss was hard, but easier to take than the loss to the other service academy.

Now let’s get to the good part.

They did beat a UTSA team that WILL be bowl bound and handed Charlotte a worse loss than either Tulane, North Texas or Army did.

They added a road win over Tulsa, something that the old coaching staff never did.

They upgraded the roster significantly all the while keeping every single player on scholarship who wanted to stay.

Even though they lose a record-setting quarterback in Evan Simon, they were thisclose to bringing in a Heisman Trophy candidate (Trinidad Chambliss), who was scooped up by Ole Miss the Friday he was supposed to sign at Temple.

They probably won’t find a Heisman candidate to replace him in the transfer portal this time, but they will find a QB or two good enough to win in the American Conference. Pretty sure they will upgrade the entire roster the same way, while keeping a good portion of the two-deep who do return.

At 6:46 here, Yale demonstrates the general principle of what TU should have done against Navy.

Keeler and roster-building guru Clayton Barnes built a nine-win FBS roster with fewer NIL resources at Sam Houston State than they have at Temple and probably will build a nine-win roster at Temple either next year or the year after.

All they have to do is improve to 6-7 next year and continue the upward curve.

Unlike basketball, there is reason for optimism with Temple football and the structure Keeler put in place is it.

Fairly certain there will be a better grade a dozen months from now, whether it’s a B+ or an A.

Friday: Signing Day Analysis

Monday: Room at the Top