Temple’s annual Cherry and White game delivered food for thought as the offseason begins

Fans received a first look at the players who are projected to take the field for Temple’s 2026 football season on Saturday, courtesy of the Owls’ Cherry and White spring game at Edberg-Olson Hall.

The game, which caps the team’s spring practices, coincides with the end of the spring transfer portal period, so it’s unlikely the team’s roster will drastically change between now and the beginning of the season, unlike in past years.

Temple now enters a break before fall camp opens in July, in preparation for the season opener against Rhode Island on Sept. 5 at Lincoln Financial Field.

» READ MORE: Audenried record-holder Shayla Smith transfers home to Temple from Penn State

“We are definitely an unfinished product, but we have definitely made progress,” said coach K.C. Keeler. “All spring long, it has been back and forth. Offense is having a big day, and the next day the defense has a big day, and it’s kind of gone back and forth like that all spring long.”

Here are six takeaways from Saturday’s spring season finale.

Jaxson Smolik

The quarterback battle between Smolik and Ajani Sheppard was a significant point of emphasis all spring. Saturday put the two center stage for one more battle before fall camp.

The spring game saw Smolik put together arguably his most impressive performance of camp.

“I felt really comfortable today,” Smolik said. “Today was one of those days where the whole offense was meshing together, and with all these practices we had, today was the day where it felt like everything kind of clicked for me.”

The Penn State transfer went 15-for-19 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with wide receiver Jojo Bermudez for a 60-yard touchdown and also connected with wide receivers Zander Baptiste and Coen Logan for scores. Smolik had a fourth touchdown to wide receiver Jayce Freeman taken away by what would have been a sack.

The competition for who will start Week 1 against Rhode Island will resume in preseason practices, but Smolik’s performance could give him confidence going into the summer.

“[Smolik], boy, he had a good day didn’t he?” Keeler said. “He really looked sharp, calm in the pocket. The ball really snapped out of his hand. He really has elite arm talent.”

» READ MORE: Read more of what's new with Temple athletics right here!

The running backs

Temple’s run game vastly improved in 2025 behind the efforts of Jay Ducker, who rushed for a team-high 809 yards and seven touchdowns. Ducker graduated but the Owls’ run game looks promising without him.

They added Sam Brown IV from Rutgers, where he struggled with injuries, but Brown looked sharp in the spring game. He ran for 22 yards, but made his biggest impact with 43 receiving yards.

Brown was flanked by Keveun Mason, who also showcased the burst and agility that earned him carries at the end of the 2025 season. Redshirt freshman De’Carlos Young showed promise and led the rushing attack with nine carries for 43 yards.

“[Brown] and Keveun can be a great one-two punch but at the same time that’s a deep room. We can go five or six deep in that room,” Keeler said. “We want to run the ball at you and then from there we’re going to open up the passing game. I think we have a stable of running backs that can do that.”

Wide receiver depth

Wide receivers Colin Chase and Rameir Hardy missed the spring game due to injury, but the depth at the position filled in seamlessly. Bermudez, the leading receiver from a year ago, led the way with 80 yards, but the rest of the room showed they could make an impact.

Midwestern State transfer Demonte Green impressed with four catches for 40 yards. Logan and Baptiste also had strong performances on Saturday, with Baptiste going for 72 yards and Logan making an impressive touchdown grab. Thirteen Owls ended the day with at least one reception.

Ajani Sheppard

Keeler said it best during his presser about the two quarterbacks. There were some days that Sheppard looked better and others where Smolik had the upper hand. During the spring game, it was Sheppard who struggled the most.

Sheppard didn’t throw a touchdown or have a drive end with one, as he and Smolik alternated on drives with the starters or the second-string players. He had missed throws to wide receivers Logan, Baptiste and Kenedy Uzoma on the first drive to stunt it after a first-down rush from running back Hunter Smith.

He had Baptiste wide-open for a touchdown later in the game, but the ball was overthrown. The 6-foot-2 QB went 6-for-21 passing for just 70 yards and had 14 yards rushing on the day.

Keeler has maintained that he won’t name a starter yet, letting the competition continue into preseason camp. He spoke about Smolik’s performance being the better of the two, but also spoke on Sheppard’s performances during the previous practices.

“They’ve been pushing each other and making each other better,” Keeler said. “I get a little hesitant of naming anybody [early] because I just want that competition to keep on pushing. Jackson definitely had the better day today. But Ajani has had some pretty good spring practices also.”

The cornerbacks

Temple’s cornerbacks were the defense’s weak spot in the latter half of the end of the 2025 season. The Owls lost starting corners Ben Osueke and Jaylen Castleberry, but returned Adrian Laing, Denzel Chavis and Devontae Ward-Grant, underclassmen who filled in their spots.

Keeler added Asa Locks and Nakeel Lawrence, but majority of the room is returnees. They struggled for much of the day. Smolik poked holes in the coverage for most of the day, and missed assignments led to linebackers or safeties needing to make up for it.

A botched coverage led to a 60-yard touchdown from Bermudez and a 25-yard gain from Freeman, who was covered by Chavis. Freeman beat him again for what would have been a touchdown if the play wasn’t called dead for a sack from safety Kolin Dinkins. Cornerback Earl Kulp was beaten by Logan in the second quarter for a touchdown as well.

“I think that is one of the positions where it’s still a little bit of a mystery,” Keeler said. “We probably have four that are really competing for those jobs … I’m OK at the talent level there, it’s just no one has really said ‘[This is] my position, I’m taking it.”

Offensive line

The offensive line was one of the positions where Temple invested heavily during the offseason. It retained the left side with tackle Giakoby Hills and guard Eric King on multiyear deals. The Owls also brought in John Stone and Zach Aamland from Rutgers.

But for much of spring ball Keeler was less than enthusiastic about the group’s output.

Saturday was no different.

The pass protection lacked for much of the day, leading Smolik and Sheppard to scramble, a common theme of the last four weeks. Linebacker Jaylon Joseph, who had four tackles and defensive end Cameron Jones were the main rushers. The group also struggled on blitz pickups, mainly from Dinkins and edge rusher Reggie Jones, as they picked up two of the team’s four sacks.

» READ MORE: Follow the Inquirer's complete coverage of college sports right here!