Temple’s Isaiah Graham-Mobley and Ifeanyi Maijeh transfer to Power 5 schools

Within a week of entering the transfer portal, former Temple linebacker Isaiah Graham-Mobley and defensive tackle Ifeanyi Maijeh have landed at Power 5 schools.

Graham-Mobley, who graduated this month, will attend Boston College. Maijeh, a redshirt junior in eligibility, will attend Rutgers, where he will be reunited with former Temple assistant Fran Brown, the secondary coach for the Scarlet Knights.

In addition, redshirt senior cornerback Linwood Crump announced Friday on Twitter that he would be entering the transfer portal.

All three were starters on defense.

This continues an exodus of key players via the transfer portal. Quarterback Anthony Russo has transferred to Michigan State. Running back Re’Mahn Davis is at Vanderbilt. Graduate student Vincent Picozzi, the team’s top offensive lineman, and kicker Will Mobley, also have entered the portal.

Graham-Mobley, who starred locally at Upper Merion and is considered an NFL prospect, said he felt a change of scenery was best. His last two seasons were cut short by ankle injuries, and he appeared in just two games this year for the 1-6 Owls.

The NCAA ruled that this season wouldn’t count toward a football player’s eligibility, giving players such as Graham-Mobley another season.

“I loved my coaching staff, but I thought this was a new opportunity for me personally,” Graham-Mobley said in a phone interview with The Inquirer. “I was in Philadelphia for the last 22 years of my life and felt I got the most out of the area and was looking for a new challenge.”

When he announced last week that he was entering the transfer portal, Graham-Mobley said, he had no idea where he would end up. Boston College contacted him soon after.

“The coaches felt I could be a big contributor on defense,” he said.

Maijeh was a first-team all-American Athletic Conference selection as a redshirt sophomore last season. This year, he didn’t earn any postseason honors.

Still, Maijeh and fellow defensive tackle Dan Archibong were a strength of the defense. Temple coach Rod Carey said earlier this week that Archibong, a redshirt senior, planned to enter the NFL draft.

Crump, who has earned his degree, said deciding to leave Temple was one of the hardest decisions he had to make.

“I just felt I learned everything I could and developed at Temple, and felt me playing in the American Conference, I did pretty well and I wanted to open my options,” Crump said in a phone interview,

Carey predicted that there would be a lot of activity, not just at Temple but at all schools with players transferring in and out.

On Wednesday, five transfers signed with Temple: redshirt sophomore receiver Amad Anderson (Purdue), senior running back Ra’Von Bonner (Illinois), redshirt freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis (Georgia), junior cornerback Keyshawn Paul (UConn), and senior defensive lineman Willie Rodgers (Washington State).