Sizing up Temple’s most impactful departures and arrivals in football’s transfer portal

As college football has evolved with Name, Image, and Likeness, the transfer portal has moved to the forefront of the offseason for teams. It allows teams to rebuild rosters quickly by filling needs for college players who are looking for a fresh start.

Temple has taken advantage of the transfer portal to refresh its team in recent years, rostering at least 30 transfers in each of the last three seasons. Some of those transfers gained significant roles and became critical players.

However, the transfer portal also gave former Owls the chance to leave the program and play elsewhere. Temple lost important transfers, including a few who turned into NFL players.

Let’s break down some of the most impactful players to transfer in and out of Temple in the last few years.

Simon spent the last two seasons at quarterback and helped lead the Owls to their best season in half a decade.

The Lancaster County native spent the first four years of his career at Rutgers, where he threw five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Simon entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season and landed at Temple to compete for the starting job.

Simon lost the job to Forrest Brock out of training camp, but he took over in Week 3 of the 2024 season and never looked back. He started the final nine games and passed for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Simon chose to return to Temple in 2025 and put together an even better season.

» READ MORE: Evan Simon became a true starting QB in his final year of college, and it’s a year he won’t forget.

After beating out Oregon State transfer Gevani McCoy in training camp, Simon led Temple to a 5-7 record, its most wins since 2019. He passed for 2,097 yards and 25 touchdowns, the most in a season in Temple history, and had two interceptions. He also tied the program record for passing touchdowns in a game with six against UMass on Aug. 30.

Simon leaves the Owls eighth in passing yards in program history with 4,129, and tied for fifth in career touchdowns with 40.

Ya-Sin joined Temple as a transfer cornerback in 2018 before NIL changed how players and programs view the portal.

He spent his first three years at FCS Presbyterian College in South Carolina but chose to transfer after the program announced it would move down to Division II. Ya-Sin played one season at Temple, but he made his mark.

Ya-Sin earned a prestigious single-digit jersey number before the season. He racked up 47 tackles, two interceptions, and a team-high 12 pass breakups as the Owls finished 8-4.

» READ MORE: Rock Ya-Sin showed Temple that he could hit the ground running

The Indianapolis Colts selected him 34th overall in the 2019 NFL draft. Ya-Sin has played for five teams in seven seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Detroit Lions in 2025, when he had 47 tackles and nine passes defended.

While few positives emerged from Temple’s 2024 season, in which Stan Drayton was fired, Trujillo was one of the bright spots.

Trujillo spent three years at FCS Austin Peay, where he made 38 field goals. He transferred to Temple and took over as its main placekicker.

He made 16 of his 22 field goal attempts and converted all 21 point-after attempts. Trujillo made headlines in Temple’s 45-29 win against Utah State on Sept. 21, 2024, when he made a 64-yard field, the longest ever at Lincoln Financial Field. He made five field goals from 50 yards or longer.

» READ MORE: Here’s how Temple kicker Maddux Trujillo is watching his boyhood dreams play out in real time

Trujillo went undrafted in 2025 but latched on with the Colts to compete for their starting kicker spot. He lost the job to Spencer Shrader and was later cut from the team.

He spent the 2025 season as a free agent and most recently signed a reserve/futures contract with the Buffalo Bills on Jan. 6.

Wright was a productive wide receiver from 2019-22 at Colorado State before transferring to Temple for the 2023 season. He became an impactful weapon in the passing game during his two years with the Owls.

He had 39 catches for 507 yards and four touchdowns during his first year with the program in 2023, then became the go-to receiver in 2024.

Wright hauled in 61 catches for 792 yards and six touchdowns. He went undrafted in 2025 but earned an invitation to the Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie minicamp. Wright did not stick with the Chiefs and was a free agent this season.

Davis joined Temple as a running back out of Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., and showed immediate promise as a freshman in 2019. Then known as Re’Mahn Davis, he rushed for 936 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 181 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He had more than 100 rushing yards in three games and appeared to be a building block for the Owls.

However, he played just four games in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, when he rushed for 323 yards on 78 carries. Davis entered the transfer portal following the season and joined Vanderbilt.

Davis played three games in 2021 before truly breaking out for the Commodores in 2022. He had 1,042 rushing yards and five touchdowns, adding three more on receptions. Davis entered the portal again after the 2022 season and went to Kentucky for his final year.

» READ MORE: Former Temple running back Ray Davis hopes to grow into a larger role with the Buffalo Bills

He had his best season with the Wildcats, compiling 1,129 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, and seven receiving touchdowns. His 21 total touchdowns were the most in a season in Kentucky history and he earned first-team All-SEC honors.

The Bills selected Davis in the fourth round of the 2024 draft. He earned a first-team All-Pro selection this season as a kick returner.

Ebiketie played defensive end for Temple from 2017-20, serving as a rotational player for his first three seasons before breaking out in 2020.

He recorded 42 tackles, 8½ tackles for losses, four sacks, and three forced fumbles. Ebiketie earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference honors and decided to enter the portal for his redshirt senior season.

Ebiketie had a standout year at Penn State, racking up 17 tackles for losses and 9½ sacks. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches and media. The Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the second round in 2022 and he has recorded 16½ sacks in four NFL seasons.

Wilson joined Temple in 2020 as a linebacker out of Parkview High School in Georgia, and he spent three seasons with the Owls.

Wilson became a regular contributor on defense, totaling 124 tackles and 11½ tackles for losses. He entered the portal after the 2022 season and landed at Southern Methodist, Temple’s conference foe at the time.

He turned into one of the Mustangs’ top players over two seasons. In 2023, Wilson had 80 tackles and an interception. He had 117 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in the next season. He earned second-team All-AAC honors in 2024 for an SMU team that appeared in the College Football Playoff. Wilson did not receive an NFL opportunity in 2025.

Braswell was a rotational cornerback from 2018-20 at Temple, where he recorded 61 tackles, three interceptions, and 16 passes defended. The Washington native entered the portal after the 2020 season and committed to Rutgers.

He did not see game action in 2021, but the next season, Braswell had five starts and recorded three interceptions and 37 passes defended, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from Pro Football Focus.

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Braswell in the sixth round of the 2023 draft and he played in all 17 games this season.