Temple recruiting: The best is yet to come

By Mike Gibson
The sign is on the wall at the Edberg-Olson Complex for all to see:
"HUNTING A MAC CHAMPIONSHIP WITH LOCAL TALENT."
If you know anything about Al Golden so far in his almost one year on the job, it's this:
Allie G. means what he says and says what he means.
It's evident in the verbals so far.
One, Daryl Robinson, might be the best player in North Catholic's long and sometimes glorious football history.
Another, Kit Anderson, scored three long touchdowns in a big Neshaminy win last week.
There is a school of thought that there isn't enough talent in the Philadelphia area and Eastern Pennsylvania to support a winning Division IA football team.
The Headmaster of that same school likes to say there's more talent in a five-mile square area of Florida than there is in Southeastern Pennsylvania or South Jersey.
Hogwash, Phooey and any two-syllable word you can think of that begins with a B and ends with a T.
Wayne Hardin and Bruce Arians proved you could field WINNING football teams at TEMPLE with primarily local talent.
Take the 1979 team, which finished 10-2 and ranked No. 17 in both final polls.
Brian Broomell, the quarterback who led the nation in passing efficiency for most of that season, was from Sterling. Mark Bright, the fullback who was MVP of Temple's bowl win over California, was from William Tennent. Kevin Duckett, the slippery halfback, was from Northeast.
We could go on and on but won't.
The proof is in the history, past and present.
The sons of these great players, figuratively, did not forget how to play football.
The football is Southeastern Pennsylvania and nearby might not be Florida but it is good enough.
If you like what Golden has done so far, the best is yet to come if the recruiting of D.J. Lenehan is any indication.
I had the pleasure of watching Lenehan of Wilson Area near Easton compete in the Class AA championship game last year.
I saw a number of his games on Service Electric Cable TV and on WFMZ Channel 69 in Allentown.
This kid is the real deal.
Much like Adam DiMichele of the current Owls, this young man has the "it" factor.
"I like to say this about all great quarterbacks, they have IT," ESPN commentator Lee Corso said. "I can't put into words precisely what it is, but when you see a quarterback who has it, you'll know.
"I'm going to say it like this: IT is the sense of when to throw the ball and when not to, it's the ability to throw the ball deep on a dime while sitting in the pocket or running at full speed and IT is toughness and the sixth sense to stay in the pocket until the last split second in order to make a play."
If you don't believe me, look at the Lenehan highlight films on Rivals.com and judge for yourself.
This kid can play and he's perfect for the Temple offense. DiMichele's presence, and to an extent Vaughn Charlton's, gives Lenehan a chance to develop at a pace that will accelerate his production.
The first school to offer Lenehan was Temple.
If anything, that indicates Golden is paying attention to the films and his two eyes and not letting some recruiting service tell him who the players are.