Owls get commitment from JUCO All-American offensive lineman Richard Rodriguez

Sophomore Richard Rodriguez, a junior college football All-American guard at Iowa Central Community College, has committed to Temple.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Rodriguez will be coming to Temple this fall. Iowa Central is currently playing a spring season and is 3-3 with two games remaining. He will have three seasons of eligibility at Temple since this year isn’t counted on a player’s eligibility due to COVID-19 guidelines.

Rodriguez made his announcement on Twitter Tuesday.

As a freshman, Rodriguez was named a first-team All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Rodriguez is the third player from his offensive line to make a Division I commitment. Jakob Bradford is headed to Syracuse, and Anthony Berry will attend UNLV.

» READ MORE: Temple’s aggressive recruiting from the football transfer portal has paid off

It’s not surprising that Temple is adding another lineman, even though the offensive line is among the most experienced units on the team.

“You always like to look at up-front guys first, O- and D-line,” Temple coach Rod Carey said during his post-spring practice press conference on April 27.

Temple, coming off a 1-6 season, will open Sept. 4 at Rutgers.