Temple recruiting class is poorly ranked; new coach undaunted

The recruiting websites were not very complimentary to the first class under Temple football coach Geoff Collins, but the program has shown that there are more ways to winning a championship than bagging four- and five-star players.

So when Temple's 17-man recruiting class was announced Wednesday, Collins naturally gushed over the incoming players.

The Owls' recruiting class was ranked 12th and last in the American Athletic Conference by Rivals.com and 247Sports.com. But Temple's history has been to grab a bunch of lightly recruited players and have them overachieve.

Linebacker Tyler Matakevich and cornerback Tavon Young, graduates last year, both have moved on to the NFL. They were seen as 2-star recruits.

"It doesn't matter what the outside people say," Collins said during a news conference. "We have stars, we can play, we are tough, we are going to work. That is who we are and that is what we are built on, and I think that gives our kids an edge and I think that's a pretty special edge to have."

The other problem with websites assigning grades is that this recruiting test may not be over. On Friday, a source said, Temple will get a visit from offensive tackle Trey Klock, a graduate transfer from Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Klock started four games last season and has two years of eligibility remaining.

One insider suggested that Klock would become the top recruit of this class.

Temple has won back-to-back AAC East Division titles and was this past season's overall champion, In doing so, the Owls have built a program in which incoming recruits aren't needed to contribute right away en masse. Many of these players could end up redshirting.

One who won't need time to adjust is a graduate transfer, cornerback/returner Mike Jones from North Carolina Central, who has one year of eligibility left. He was mentioned as a possible late NFL pick had he opted to enter the draft this year.

"My goal is to stay on track with grad school and get good grades and raise my football stock," Jones said.

The breakdown for the class is as follows: five defensive backs, three defensive linemen, three receivers, two linebackers, two offensive linemen, one tight end, and a quarterback. Temple lost out on some players because of the coaching change, but the Owls were able to hold on to several.

Collins, like his predecessor, Matt Rhule, values players who can play several positions.

The quarterback always draws interest, and the Owls signed 6-foot-1, 205-pound Todd Centeio of William T. Dwyer High School in West Palm Beach, Fla. Centeio, who threw for 2,344 yards and 31 touchdowns, has already enrolled at Temple.

"He has that 'it' factor to him and you can see it when he walks into a room - he has something about him," Collins said. "He has arm talent, is very accurate, and when he needs to escape the pocket, he has that ability."

Collins, who was the defensive coordinator at Florida, said he has a priority to recruit players from the Philadelphia area.

A total of six players hail from South Jersey/Southeastern Pennsylvania: linebacker Audley Isaacs (Valley Forge Military Academy); receiver Jeremy Jennings (Downingtown East); tight end Emil Moody (Neumann-Goretti); defensive backs George Reid (Abington) and Collin Washington (Central); and linebacker Casey Williams, who is a 2016 graduate of South Philadelphia High.

Not counted among the six is receiver Jaden Blue, who is from Baltimore and competed for Peddie School in Hightstown, N.J.

"There are so many good players and such good coaches that we can make sure we surround this area and get kids from this area in and then go supplement them with great players from Georgia [and] Florida." Collins said.

Collins was hired Dec. 13. He looks forward to having a full year to work on his next recruiting class, although this one, he insists, will be much better than the prognosticators suggest.

mnarducci@phillynews.com

@sjnard