Sizing up Temple’s football roster after it received a facelift this offseason under K.C. Keeler

Temple football kicks off a new era Saturday when it opens its season at Massachusetts (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). Former Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler was brought in to help steer the Owls in the right direction.

Keeler has achieved success at every coaching stop and has the second-highest win total among active college football coaches (271). He’s won two FCS national titles and will now try to revive Temple, which has endured four consecutive three-win seasons.

“I think it was a pretty simple thought: I’m going to give all these guys opportunities,” Keeler said. “It’s a clean slate. I just want to move this thing forward. I don’t want to look backward.”

» READ MORE: What is the best-case scenario for K.C. Keeler’s first season at Temple? Bowl eligibility could be in the cards.

Keeler’s first order of business was sizing up the roster and making adjustments accordingly. The Owls have 48 new players on the roster this season. Here’s a breakdown of each position group.

Temple’s starting quarterback has been a big topic since Keeler took the job on Dec. 1, 2024. He wasn’t shy then to talk about the possibility of bringing in another quarterback to compete with Evan Simon.

He did just that a few months later. He brought in Gevani McCoy, who spent the spring with Texas State after one season at Oregon State.

The two have competed for the top spot since preseason camp opened July 30. Keeler has not named a starting quarterback.

Simon took over the starting job in Week 3 last season. He threw for 15 touchdowns and 2,032 yards in nine starts. Simon’s teammates have been complimentary of his leadership during the competition.

McCoy missed the Owls’ spring practice after transferring to North Broad in late April. He fits the run-heavy system offensive coordinator Tyler Walker wants to implement. McCoy transferred to Oregon State in 2024 after being one of the better quarterbacks at Idaho. He won the Jerry Rice Award as the best freshman in the FCS in 2022.

Jay Ducker followed Keeler from Sam Houston. He was the Bearkats’ leading rusher with 745 yards in 2024 and is expected to be Temple’s featured ballcarrier.

Up next is Terrez Worthy, who returned to the Owls after briefly entering the transfer portal when coach Stan Drayton was fired last fall. Worthy was the Owls’ leading rusher last season. Ducker and Worthy were named to the preseason watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which is awarded to the nation’s best running back.

» READ MORE: Temple’s not tipping its hand at quarterback as opener at UMass approaches

Joquez Smith, who also was named to the watch list, and Louisiana Monroe transfer Hunter Smith join that tandem. Ducker’s power and Worthy’s speed will give Temple an opportunity to replicate Walker’s success at Montana State, where he had three 1,000-yard rushers last season.

Running backs coach Andrew Pierce “really harps on that we’re all a family,” Ducker said.

Last season’s leading receiver, Dante Wright, signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent. However, the Owls’ best players during camp were transfers Colin Chase and JoJo Bermudez.

“Those two guys are different,” said wide receivers coach Roy Roundtree. “They go about their day like pros. They study, they spend an extra time on film, and it’s showing on film. They elevated the room.”

Chase has become the contested-catch playmaker and deep-ball threat in his short time in a Temple uniform. The wideout, who transferred from Division III St. Thomas (St. Paul, Minn.), has become a favorite target for Simon and McCoy.

Bermudez’s speed, meanwhile, is his biggest asset.

The Delaware transfer has also become a familiar target for the quarterbacks, utilizing his speed in the middle of the field. He can fill the role Wright vacated as a shifty playmaker.

Peter Clarke is back to lead the Owls’ tight ends, but Ryder Kusch also could earn playing time. The freshman from the Hun School in Princeton, N.J., missed a portion of camp with injury, but he took snaps with the starters when he was healthy.

The offensive line has been the team’s biggest surprise. Temple returns its starters along the line from last season, with the addition of Luke Watson, who missed the 2024 season with a torn ACL.

Now, the unit could anchor the Owls’ running game. Grayson Mains returns as Temple’s center. Eric King and Kevin Terry are back after starting last season.

» READ MORE: College football preview: Ohio State still loaded, Clemson is back, and there’s another Manning under center

“We’ll go as far as the O-line is going to take us,” Walker said. “It’s like having three Ferraris in the garage and no gas.”

This is Temple’s deepest position group. Tackle Sekou Kromah will step into a bigger role in 2025 after recording 20 tackles in 2024.

Other names to watch: UMass transfer Aaron Beckwith, who will have a homecoming in the season opener, and Demerick Morris, who returns after spending the winter at Oklahoma State.

The Owls’ linebacker corps lost leading tacklers D.J. Woodbury and Tyquan King but has filled the void via the transfer portal. Ty Davis joined the team from Delaware, where he recorded 144 tackles in three seasons and was named second-team All-Coastal Athletic Association in 2024.

Independence Community College transfer Curly Ordonez joins Davis as a new face who could make noise on defensive coordinator Brian L. Smith’s defense. Ordonez has made plays throughout camp, including snagging a one-handed interception.

A few returners also could make an impact. Eric Stuart and Cam’Ron Stewart, who missed portions of 2024 with injuries, are entering their final season of eligibility.

Temple’s secondary has seen significant turnover, returning only two starters from last season in Javier Morton and Ben Osueke. Morton will be the main safety, while Osueke has been the Owls’ starting cornerback the last two seasons. This year, he will be joined by Youngstown State transfer Jaylen Castleberry.

» READ MORE: Temple is eager to put its past run of losing football seasons to bed. In some cases, literally.

Missouri State transfer Avery Powell will be a wild card. He transferred to Temple as a cornerback but was quickly moved to safety. Powell could be used in coverage and as another linebacker.

“There’s a lot of competition back there with the DBs; we’ve got a good nucleus of corners,” Smith said. “The competition right now is the main thing, and guys will separate themselves once we start scrimmaging and doing those things.”