Tag Archives: ncaa

05.04.25
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Executive Order could level the playing field

Hell might have frozen over.

There is an issue out there where the Democrats and Republicans might come to an agreement.

This is probably the best-case scenario for G5 teams like Temple.

A talk at the University of Alabama commencement between President Trump, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban and former Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville could produce something needed in college football.

An even playing field, which would be something both Democrats and Republicans–and basically all fans of college football–can agree on right now.

If nothing changes, the playing field Temple plays on next year against Penn State will be tilted heavily in the Lions’ direction. That probably would have happened anyway. Hell, it happened since the 1975 renewal of the series but, unlike those first days, we have a situation now where Penn State can steal Temple’s one or two best players from this year–if it wanted to–and Temple could steal no one from Penn State and that field would be so far uphill the Owls would never have a chance.

There are no details of what such an executive order would entail but both Saban and Tuberville stressed in their conversations with the President that the “playing field needed to be leveled.”

They didn’t say how.

My guess is that it refers to an even playing field among the P4 powers, not including the G5 schools. That would probably mean no transfers allowed between P4 schools and an even distribution of NIL money among the power conference schools.

However, an executive order distributing an even amount of NIL money over the 130 schools would certainly help Temple and that’s what we have to hope for even if it’s a pipe dream.

Certainly an EO would face a strenuous court test but it might move a Congress that had no prior interest in college football to move to help the have-nots. Can’t imagine Congress would get behind the 20 or so schools who want to take all of the money so this probably is a bipartisan issue.

That’s a move Democrats would get behind and certainly Tuberville and Saban understand the inequity that currently exists.

What we do know is the status quo isn’t helping Temple or any other G5 schools so a shakeup is positive news.

My vote: A 145 percent tariff on the P4 to help the G5. Not gonna happen, but we can always dream.

04.17.25
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What most people don’t understand about college sports

After reading this, tell me where Temple gets the money to pay football or basketball players who are already getting scholarships worth almost $100,000?

The response never fails.

Every time I write something about the evils of the NIL and the transfer portal, I invariably get this response either on twitter, the comments below or facebook:

“These colleges make millions off the backs of the players. They deserve to be paid.”

Err, no.

The Ohio States and the Penn States make millions.

The Temples, the Kent States, the Georgia States, the Troys, the Sam Houstons, etc. don’t.

There are plenty more of the latter group than the former one.

Temple has to sell its ability to put players in the NFL and it has a strong history of that.

As many of 100 (or more) of the FBS schools LOSE money on football. Should those players be forced to pay back the schools who employ them?

No.

But to say these players deserve millions because universities makes millions is a misnomer because there is no bounty.

Look at Temple.

This week Temple president John Fry wrote a university-wide email (see above) about how Temple is strapped for cash and how the school is going to have to tighten that belt even more.

Temple isn’t the only school in that boat.

Ryder Kusch shows Reece Clark how playing tight end is done.

Maybe Memphis and Boise State make money on football.

I doubt that any other G5 schools do.

Temple did a lot of hard work recruiting a quarterback who was set to visit the school today. He canceled the visit and committed to Ole Miss on Tuesday. Temple lost a tight end (Reece Clark) today who entered the portal. Good for him. I don’t think he’s going to find any real money elsewhere. Let’s be real here. Clark is a nice player. He was outplayed in the spring by Ryder Kusch. Clark is a tweener. Not big enough to play tight end or fast enough to play wide receiver. He’s like a 6-3 forward in high school basketball. He didn’t light up the stat sheet for a 3-9 team. Doubt that any 9-3 teams are going to offer him money. He’s got to be realistic about his own ability. Instead, he’s probably listening to an agent.

He’s more likely to drop to FCS than continue to play at the highest level.

Better for Temple because head coach K.C. Keeler said that you are either all in or all out and Clark is all out. Now Keeler is building a team that is all in and that can only benefit Temple.

Although this number changes every day, there were only 1,452 FBS scholarships available as of 10 p.m. Thursday night. The math ain’t mathing for 90+ percent of these kids but don’t expect an “agent” to tell them that.

Ole Miss has money to pay football players.

Temple doesn’t.

Neither does almost every other G5 school yet a lot of G5 schools find a way to compete. One of those schools was Sam Houston, which won 9 games and a bowl game.

Its head coach?

K.C. Keeler.

It’s a lot tougher to win with players who are getting paid the old-fashioned way but there’s a lot to be said about building a culture where everyone is pretty much getting the same thing and there’s no locker room bickering why this one guy gets this and this other guy doesn’t get that.

Maybe that isn’t all of the Keeler winning formula, but it certainly is a big part of it.

Until some multi-billionaire Saudi horse racing aficionado wants to see what kind of havoc his disposable income can wreak on college football by backing Temple, spare me on the “kids deserve to get paid” angle.

Monday: An Intriguing Prospect

04.14.25
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Cherry and White: Tough love and defense

K.C. Keeler tells the team if anyone enters the portal, he’s not taking them back. (Photo by Anthony Getz)

Defense and field goals dominated the 2025 Cherry and White game and one more thing.

Tough love.

Quarterback Tyler Douglas did nothing wrong on this pass but it ended up being a Pick 6.

First-year Temple head coach K.C. Keeler channeled his inner John Chaney when he made clear to any Owls considering the transfer portal he would not take them back. Keeler’s reasoning was sound. “Now that you have been with me, I told them if they go in the portal, we’re not taking them back,” he said.

The thinking there is this is the first time a lot of these Temple kids played for a Hall of Fame coach and they might be intrigued where he can lead them and the team.

Chaney did a similar thing long before the portal, telling anyone who transferred that they were not welcomed back. The famous quote was, “If you tell me you don’t love me, it’s over.”

It worked back then because Chaney had both the carrot and the stick.

We’ll see if it works now.

It was a bold move back then. It is even more today because there might be more money on the other side. Then again, there might not. More players who go into the portal find zero money and no scholarships on the other side than those who go in and expect to get rich.

Joe Greenwood (left) and College Hall of Fame running back Paul Palmer rock their letterwinner jackets.

For now, it’s a buyer’s market for the teams, not the players. Only the top 1 percent of the players in the portal get any real money and that’s from only the top 20 or so college football powerhouses.

So anyone who played on a 3-9 team would be wise to stay put and keep their scholarship.

As far as the game itself, the Owls went 5-for-5 in field goals but a point of emphasis will be to finish off those drives with touchdowns and not field goals. While Keeler praised newcomer Jay Ducker (21 carries for 66 yards), he also noted that Ducker needs to improve his finishing speed. If he doesn’t, Keeler has a nice insurance policy in Torrez Worthy, who is one of the fastest backs in the AAC. Worthy outran the whole Tulane team in the lone highlight of a 52-6 loss last year.

Keeler also said that Evan Simon “had a great spring” but that he’s “bringing in another quarterback” to compete for the starting job. My feeling here is that Simon is a good enough quarterback to produce a winning season at Temple but the fact that Temple doesn’t have another quarterback good enough to produce a winning season is the very reason Keeler should go after a similar level quarterback.

Defensively, Keeler said the line is “7-8 deep” and they should be able to stop people in this league given the personnel already here. Offensively, he said “iron sharpens iron” and how good the DL was all spring made the OL the most improved aspect of the team. Those of us who saw Simon running for his life last fall will have to see that to believe that against live competition. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to get a tackle who can protect Simon’s blindside.

Another reason they will hit the portal for a QB is his offensive staff is used to a running quarterback and nothing puts pressure on a modern defense than a quarterback who can move the sticks both running and passing.

Those are hard to come by and the competition for one should be furious. Sort of like it was on Saturday.

Friday: An intriguing prospect

03.27.25
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Something positive: Keeler is holding it together

Last year, Stan Drayton allowed Rock, Paper and Scissors between Forrest Brock and Evan Simon to determine the first-team QB reps. Now Rock, Paper and Scissors doesn’t decide anything. Thanks to K.C. Keeler for that.

Let’s face it: College sports is a complete bleep show now.

More players entered the NCAA Division I basketball portal than ever on Thursday (we would give you the exact number but it was 1,700 at noon and 1,887 at 4 p.m. and probably over 2,000 now), including basically the entire Temple University men’s basketball team.

The Scotus decision on the NCAA vs. Alston in 2021 caused complete anarchy in college sports. The transfer portal preceded that but there was very little movement because there was no big money thrown around. Kids used the portal for the reason it was intended–to get playing time at another school when they weren’t getting it at their own.

Have to wonder if Whizzer White–an All-American football player in an era where amateurs dominated college sports–would have agreed with his colleagues if he had lived long enough to remain on the court.

Temple’s major sports have struggled since because the grads are not as deep-pocketed as the products of the SEC and Big 10 schools.

While coaches like Adam Fisher, Stan Drayton, Aaron McKie and Rod Carey haven’t been able to keep a semblance of sanity, probably the most impressive aspect of the first few months is that new head coach K.C. Keeler is holding things together. Make no mistake about it. Demerick Morris can play in the NFL. He is THAT good. He came to the correct conclusion that can be done for a championship coach. He dipped his toe into the water and went to Oklahoma State before deciding he made a mistake.

Maybe it was because of Keeler’s reputation. Maybe it was because of something else, like Keeler sitting down and having a heart-to-heart conversation with every single one of Temple’s scholarship players.

Still, what is unmistakable is Keeler is holding it together at Temple in a way Drayton, Carey and now Fisher haven’t demonstrated.

That’s an improvement in an era where chaos now reigns.

Less chaos probably means more wins for Temple.

Monday: What the awards tell you

Friday: The Last Cherry and White Game Ever?

03.16.25
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Only one way to convince the doubters

Watching the NCAA basketball selection Sunday reaffirmed my doubts about the future of college sports.

You pay to win.

After years of complaining about Cinderellas getting access to the 68-team tournament, the Power 4 finally devised a way to keep out what they see as deplorables.

NIL and transfer portal.

Each year there are less and less Cinderella types and more and more of the bluebloods. The SEC got a record 14 teams in the tournament. The ACC got a team with a Quad 1 record of 1-11.

One and eleven against the best dozen teams on the schedule.

When it comes to Temple football, the outlook is slightly different because college football’s rough equivalent of March Madness is a 12-team tournament and the way things have been structured for awhile, the Temples of the world are not getting into something like that.

All new Temple head coach K.C. Keeler has to do, though, is to make the top 80 teams in the country to create some excitement around here. There are 130 FBS teams and 80 of them make bowl games and that’s a reasonable expectation for Temple football.

After four-straight 3-9 seasons and a 1-6 season before that, getting to a bowl game is going to feel like winning the national championship around here. The top 40 of those bowl teams pay to play but the bottom 40 get there through grit, guile and organization.

So far, Keeler has shown signs of improvement in that latter area yet there are doubters among Temple fans. Some say he’s “too old” and doesn’t fit the profile of a young hungry coach fans were used to under Matt Rhule and Al Golden.

Those were different times, though, where the “young and hungry” coach could recruit high school players, put them in the weight room for a year and redshirt them for another year before they would be ready to shine. Now try that and the player is gone after the “shine” year and Temple gets out of the deal is developing a kid for another program.

One day, maybe far into the future, a more equitable system might be in place but we have our doubts about that.

What we have no doubt about is that Keeler is the right guy for Temple at this time but we won’t know for sure until December.

If he’s able to pull it off, it will be worth the wait.

Next step: Humor

03.14.25
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Temple: One season over, one begins

Like many Temple fans, watched the finale of the Adam Fisher Story on Thursday night as the men’s basketball team lost to Tulsa.

Unacceptable.

Temple is a great school in the only World Heritage City in the United States with nearly 40,000 full-time students and many more famous alumni than Tulsa and Tulsa is in the middle of bum-bleep Oklahoma with only 3,200 full-time students.

If there is a legitimate leadership council at Temple, heads should roll.

That’s a discussion for another time and probably the next Board of Trustees meeting at Sullivan Hall.

One season is over and one is beginning.

Temple is led on the football side by a CEO who proved he knows what he is doing at three separate schools.

There is no reason to believe that won’t happen at a fourth.

On the other hand, Fisher’s major claim to fame was editing videos for Jim Larranaga at Miami.

Pretty wide gap between the two hires.

K.C. Keeler’s first week as a Temple head coach at an “official” spring practice will end tomorrow and there is a lot of good to say about his production.

Temple’s “Employee of the Week” showed an impressive grasp of the personnel under his disposal.

As a hard-core Temple fan for the last four years, I’ve studied the roster pretty well and think I have a firm handle on the ability of the holdovers.

In his first press conference as Temple’s head coach, Keeler demonstrated an “off-the-charts” kind of knowledge of the individual skills of every player who every reporter asked him about. That proves to me he both already studied the film and had an honest sit-down with all 105 scholarship players in the program.

Now all that needs left to be done is a clean evaluation of a month of practice and a further determination of what must be done in the transfer portal to plug a hole here and there.

That’s the kind of knowledge that Stan Drayton never showed in his three years here.

Will it translate into more wins?

That will all be determined by how Keeler’s staff fills the 10 or so holes that will inevitably need to be filled after spring practice is concluded.

Put it this way: I have a lot more confidence in a football guy leading my football program than a video guy leading my basketball program.

Monday: Doubting Thomases

02.27.25
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Football: The Game where coaching matters most

Some great stuff about hockey here but advance to the 41-minute mark for the Keeler comments.

There has been a procession of coaches at Temple throughout the past few years and most gave passing props to the school’s football history or former stars.

Geoff Collins was the most clueless.

Temple’s only Heisman Trophy runner-up, Paul Palmer, applauds the hire of K.C. Keeler. (He hasn’t aged a bit since 1986.)

At a Temple alumni function that coincided with one of his first spring practices, Collins walked up to a bunch of Temple football alumni who were wearing varsity jackets. Collins assumed they were high school coaches who he also invited to the same practice.

“Hey, I’m Geoff Collins, where do you coach?” he said to one.

That one was Temple football Hall of Famer and arguably GOAT Paul Palmer (really, the only other GOAT is Joe Klecko but since this is just for Temple stuff and not for pro football stuff, Palmer’s got to be the guy).

Swing and miss by Collins right in his first at-bat.

Palmer was way too humble to say “I’m Paul Palmer, the greatest Temple player of all time” so instead he said he coached at Haddon Heights (N.J.), which was also true.

Collins had no idea who he was talking to that day.

Al Golden and Matt Rhule both understood and respected Temple history. Golden said when he played at Penn State no team hit him as hard as Temple so he went back to TEMPLE on the helmets to honor that time. Rhule adopted many of the Temple traditions passed on to him by his former boss.

Temple has played football since 1894 and never hired a national championship coach who got that title in Division I or above. That all changed in December and the impact should be felt on the field.

Steve Addazio was the guy who got rid of the greatest helmet in Temple history and put the block T back on it so he also swung and missed on traditions.

When it comes to Temple football, Collins wasn’t the only tone deaf guy but he certainly holds a spot in the Tone Deaf Hall of Fame.

The same certainly cannot be said about new head Temple football coach K.C. Keeler. He not only recognized Temple right away, but said the only reason he didn’t end up at Temple was because Wayne Hardin ran out of scholarships and so he ended up at Delaware.

Good stuff and, yes, he knows who Paul Palmer is.

Came across this great podcast by former Temple tight end Bryant Garvin and Temple fan Monty Moss (give it a like and a sub) talking about Temple’s new coaching hire and Palmer endorses Keeler for all of the right reasons.

Palmer talks about not only what Keeler did at Rowan, Delaware and Sam Houston but his commitment to all three institutions. He makes the very valid point that Keeler is in his mid-60s and that’s not an age where you think about moving on but one where leaving a legacy is more important.

Why not make that legacy at the school where you wanted to be as a 17-year-old kid?

Keeler brings with him all the “how to” stuff he brought to those other schools but the “want to” stuff has always been there with Temple.

The Temple GOAT understands that. The rest of Temple Nation is about to find out.

Monday: An under-the-radar recruit

02.03.25
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Some great players remain in the portal

Hard to believe the number of very good players left in the college football’s transfer portal and, the longer they stay there, the better the chances for a G5 school like Temple to come away with some.

There’s no secret who new Temple portal expert Kyle Pollock should be targeting because the Owls lost two of their better defensive lineman to both portal and graduation and their offensive line struggled in pass protection last season.

Both need to be resupplied.

The top offensive lineman remaining in the portal is Fa’Alili Fa’amore who is a 6-5, 314-pound junior from Wake Forest. He originally signed with Washington State but moved on to Washington.

C.J. James from UTSA was granted an additional year of eligibility due to the Diego Pavia lawsuit. He’s 6-3, 310 pounds and is familiar with Temple. The Owls lost their starting quarterback to a rival conference school from Texas two years ago so turnabout is fair play. K.C. Keeler has plenty of recruiting connections in Texas so maybe he could pull this off.

Hard to believe the number of very good players left in the college football's transfer portal and, the longer they stay there, the better the chances for a G5 school like Temple to come away with some.
Analysts like Bruce Feldman insist the biggest problem with the transfer portal is the belief among players that they will land somewhere. Nearly 50 percent who enter one year find themselves without a home the next.

Kai Greer (6-6, 285) redshirted this year at Georgia Tech and has offers from places like Liberty and Utah State so Temple should probably throw its hat into the ring for him. Temple beat Utah State, 45-29, last year and Keeler beat Liberty, 20-12, as head coach at Sam Houston State.

Those are just a few of the “types” of lineman Temple can and should go after.

The Owls don’t have the same NIL resources many other schools have but they can offer an opportunity for good players who want to bet on themselves to succeed.

Maybe it’s enough. Maybe it’s not, but we will never know unless we try.

Friday: Signing Day Recap

01.30.25
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Next dozen signees could be key to a bowl game

Quarterback Evan Simon is our Jan. 30 choice as the MVP of the 2025 Temple Owls. Here he is working out earlier this week.

Leave it to a future college football Hall of Fame coach to set the bar high for the 2025 Temple Owls.

“While we’re thinking long-term success in the form of championships, the immediate goal is to be in a bowl game now and we think we can do it,” new Temple coach K.C. Keeler said back in early December.

While the Owls have a lot of holdovers capable of leading the charge to fulfill that immediate destiny (we’re thinking quarterback Evan Simon and running back Torrez Worthy here), what they do in the next dozen signings probably will determine that fate.

Hundreds of really good players remain in the portal and there aren’t enough musical chairs for all of them to receive a scholarship, let alone NIL money, and that’s where Temple has to offer a place to sit.

Look at Matt Sluka, the quarterback who left Holy Cross because he said he was promised $300,000 to play at UNLV but instead got nothing once he landed in Las Vegas. Got to give the kid credit for sticking up for principles and leaving in the middle of the season.

The sensible ones at this stage know the smart move is to find a landing spot where tuition, board, housing and what’s called “Cost of Attendance”–usually a stipend of at least $5,000 a year–is provided to the student athletes.

You know, just like the old days.

The not-so-dirty dozen comes in because the Owls now have at least 12 of those scholarships to dangle and playing for Hall of Fame head coach certainly has its appeal.

Think about it.

In the entire history of FCS football, the No. 1 winner is K.C. Keeler with 171 victories. There is no way with that resume he doesn’t join Pop Warner, Wayne Hardin and Paul Palmer has guys with Temple connections in the College Football Hall of Fame.

On top of that, Keeler is a proven FBS winner at Sam Houston State and he looks to pad that resume at Temple.

We don’t have to tell a guy like that what he needs to do. While the Owls lost their two best linebackers, Keeler already has brought in a linebacker who was captain of the Delaware team and another linebacker who had offers from LSU and Alabama and signed with Michigan State before going to Kentucky last year.

In the pre-portal era, Temple could never dream to sign the latter type of player out of high school.

Now there’s a chance for a significant roster upgrade for this coming season.

Bring some P4 backups and FCS stars in here to rebuild the offensive and defensive lines and away we go.

A dozen should do it.

The rest of the roster is fairly well set and, unlike the last six or so years, the coaching is rock solid.

01.24.25
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Good portal news comes in threes for Owls

Owls getting the work done on Tuesday at The Edberg-Olson Football Complex.

For all of the exciting new additions in the transfer portal for Temple football since K.C. Keeler has arrived, maybe the best news is that some of the current Owls have reconsidered.

Maybe that’s the impression Keeler has fostered over his nearly two months here.

Three pretty good Temple players who entered the portal have done the Prodigal Son thing and returned to the Owls.

Khalil Poteat should be an important part of the defense in 2025.

Good news, as well as bad, comes in threes.

Joseph Auzenne, a defensive lineman who played in 10 games, was the latest to return and told OwlsDaily.com’s Shawn Pastor in a text message on Thursday he was “ready to kick ass for the Owls.”

I like the sound of that.

Countries who had citizens view Temple Football Forever in the last two days. Not shown is Saudi Arabia (one view). We need that guy to make a significant NIL contribution to Temple football.

Also, leading rusher Terrez Worthy dipped his toes in the transfer portal water and decided that it was ice cold and is back to compete for the No. 1 tailback job with Jay Ducker.

The third player who tried the portal and returned was opening day starter at left offensive tackle, Kevin Terry. When the guy the past staff trusts at the most important pass protection position on the team comes to that conclusion, it can only help.

Temple is set at quarterback with Evan Simon, a guy who can win an AAC title, and some pretty good receivers and tight ends. The linebacker room is solid and there is a pretty good group in the back end on defense.

Temple needs to replace the best placekicker in the country and that might be the toughest get.

There are still wants and needs because the offensive line should be upgraded and the defensive line has holes created by the portal, but with 11 scholarships left to dangle in the second portal window, Keeler has some currency for good players running out of options.

The portal has been, at least for the last two years, a buyer’s market with way more players in it than available scholarships. That means some really good players should shake free and fall to Temple.

Whoever does, they should be welcomed by a lot of the guys already here who have bought into this new culture.