Patience and trust have turned JoJo Bermudez into one of Temple’s best receivers

A wrench was thrown into JoJo Bermudez’s college career before he played a single snap. While at Cincinnati in 2022, a knee injury prematurely ended his freshman season.

He redshirted and entered the transfer portal, starting a long rehabilitation process.

Bermudez landed at Delaware, a closer trip from his hometown of Egg Harbor City, N.J. The former three-star wide receiver out of Cedar Creek High School in Atlantic County became a reliable target for the Blue Hens, catching 50 passes in his two seasons, but injuries lingered.

“It was tough because I always dominated in football,” said Bermudez, a redshirt junior. “So when I got hurt, it was frustrating because I never faced adversity like that at all. For my injury to be as long as it was, I wasn’t able to return to football for two years, so I was sidelined for two years, and I’ve been playing since [I was] 5 and I never got hurt. So that was a big jump.”

When Bermudez left Delaware this past spring, it had been nearly three years since his injury, and he finally had the chance to show off his skill. He’s done just that, transforming into one of Temple’s best receivers in just six games.

And his confidence is at an all-time high.

“You’ve got to be strong,” Bermudez said. “There’s nothing you can literally do to get your legs back to 100% in two days, three days. It’s a process. So you’ve got to be really mentally strong, and you’ve got to just have patience. You’ve got to know it’s just going to get better at the end.”

Bermudez got into the sport when he was 5 simply as a way to be outside and hang out with his friends. It wasn’t long before neighborhood coaches saw that he had a gift on the gridiron.

He was moved up to an older age group and quickly found his niche on the offensive side, as it gave him the best chance to make a play.

When he got to Cedar Creek, he met Andrew Pierce, who then was working in player development at Rutgers, during a recruiting visit. The two South Jersey natives instantly struck a connection. When Bermudez committed to Cincinnati, he and Pierce kept in touch, and it was Pierce who gave Bermudez a lifeline following his freshman year.

“When he got in the portal, I reached out to him and had a conversation,” said Pierce, who’d joined Delaware’s staff as its running backs coach in 2021. “He knew that we had that connection together. Then he trusted that Delaware was a good spot for him to come back and get closer to home.”

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At Delaware, Bermudez had a support system, something he said he lacked in Ohio. He felt that the relationships he developed with the Blue Hens were more personal and genuine. Being back in the area also allowed him to stay close to his 2-year-old daughter.

Bermudez played in just six games in 2024, but Pierce helped him get through it. Pierce was hired to coach running backs at Temple in January and Bermudez followed his coach to North Broad, this time with a different approach.

“I was hard-headed coming in,” Bermudez said. “I ain’t going to say I was perfect with rehab. I was a young kid, and I never faced an injury before. I’m older now. I know what I have to do. I know what I want to do. It was more so just lock in, ain’t no more time to play around.”

He began taking better care of his body and ran the route tree almost every day to prepare for nearly every scenario that could be thrown his way. He and Temple quarterback Evan Simon shared a rapport instantly, which has translated onto the field.

With no injuries to hold him back, Bermudez has 266 receiving yards, second-most on the Owls and just 11 yards shy of his career high, set in 2023 at Delaware. He leads the team with 21 receptions and four touchdowns.

“​​Every time I get the ball on my hands, I want to make a big play,” Bermudez said. “I want to show everybody what I’m capable of doing. I know what I’m capable of doing. I want to show other people that I could do this. Every time I touch the ball, like, put the ball in [No.] 17’s hands, and you’re going to have the crowd shaking.”

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With six games remaining in the regular season, Temple (3-3, 1-1 American Conference) will travel to face Charlotte (1-5, 0-3) on Saturday. The Owls are one win away from breaking a streak of three-win seasons that dates to 2021, and when they do, Bermudez figures to be a big factor.

“It’s confidence,” Pierce said. “I think JoJo can be an elite player in the country, period, at any position. That’s the traits he has and the things that he can do with his speed and his ability to catch the ball and be a playmaker. I think the confidence point of it, understanding everything about the offense, and just getting him the ball in space. His confidence of not worrying about being injured and just going out there and playing.”