Signing Day: Are we there yet?

Highlights of Brian Burns (above) and Niyi Adewole (below).

The only bump so far this year came when Florida and head coach Urban Myer stole Tyler Murphy from Golden and Temple. College football is corrupt to its core because the power conferences can always steal recruits and coaches from the non-power conferences

By Mike Gibson
When I think about recruiting and how big the story has become on a national level, I'm reminded of the kid I used to be in the back seat of my dad's car on the way to vacation in Wildwood, N.J.
"Are we there yet?" I would say every 10 miles or so while riding along a winding Route 47.
Recruiting is a little like that, especially at Temple University these days.
It's a long and winding road, just like Route 47 was, with some bumps along the way.
Like the first day of vacation, there's a lot of anticipation with Signing Day but you know the trip will be worth it when Al Golden gets you there.
The only bump so far this year came when Florida and head coach Urban Myer stole Tyler Murphy from Golden and Temple.
I love college football, but you've got to admit it is corrupt to its core because the power conferences can and always do steal recruits and coaches from the non-power conferences. There's no protection for the non-BCS schools. College football today is like the Wild Wild West with the one major difference is the bad guys have all the guns.
How are the little guys ever going to succeed against that brutal backdrop?

Signing Day 2010
Wednesday, Feb. 3
3:00 PM: Press Conference
4:00-5:00 PM: Reception
5:00-5:45 PM: Recruit Highlights
Student Center, room 200
13th and Montgomery streets
Main Campus
$10 per person includes light hor d'ouevres.

It's why what happened at Boise State and what is happening at Temple has been and will be a very special story, a lot more special than what can happen at a place like Florida or Alabama.
America likes teams and people who overcome all the odds. America loves the underdog, the rags-to-riches story, and one is being written at Temple today.
It's tough, but it's possible, and when it's done inside a corrupt system, it is all the sweeter.
If you believe in Karma, Urban Myer will get his (bad) day and Temple will get its (good) day.
For today, we'll concentrate on the non-transfers. Temple has one coming in from Michigan, one from Hofstra and one from Northeastern. We want to write about those guys later this week, so we'll concentrate on this list, courtesy of Owlscoop.com.
The following guys will help Temple get to the college football moutaintop:

Already signed:

Rod Streater WR 6-4 192 - Alfred, NY _ Check the film in the post below. If that doesn't make you say wow, you aren't impressed by anything. His best play in the film is replayed in slow motion. It's not a fluke. It's the kind of play only a guy who is a high jump champion can make routinely. Rod was a state high-jump champion at Northern Burlington (N.J.)

Committed but unsigned:

Niyi Adewole LB 6-3 220 - Upper Darby, PA _ Adewole had a teammate at Upper Darby, a linebacker named Amara Kamara. Adewole will have a teammate at Temple this season, a linebacker named Amara Kamara (cousin of the other Amara Kamara). Two teams. Two Amara Kamaras. Two different people. If Adewole is the player Temple's Amara Kamara is, he will be a good one. This story tells you more about Niyi Adewole the person.
Antonio Belt WR 6-1 190 _ Forestville, MD _ The latest to commit to Temple, Belt is an accomplished wide receiver who received high marks for his hands, speed and RAC (run-after-catch) ability at a number of five-star camps. �My trip (to Temple) was really good,� said Belt. �They showed me a lot of love and all the coaches kept it real and honest with me. I really love the campus there."
Wyatt Benson LB 6-0 215 - Haverford, PA _ Tremendous player and student from Haverford School, Benson has the distinction of being the first player in this class to commit. He was a first-team All-Inquirer choice at linebacker.
Brian Burns DB 6-0 170 4.52 Upper Marlboro, MD _ Burns has a tremendous upside with his ability to hit in the open field. Think Jacquain Jarrett.
Taray Carey DE 6-5 210 4.6 Whitehall, PA _ A nonstop motor characterizes this talent, who has the speed and athleticism to get in the quarterback's face and the height to knock the ball down when he doesn't. He's a terrific wrestler, who will use the moves he learned on the mat to pin a few offensive linemen.

Doesn't look like he's got the requisite vertical leap required of a Temple punter ...

Andrew Cerett K 6-5 240 - Huntingdon, PA _ More of a punter than a placekicker, Cerett's measureables (44-yard average. 5.2 seconds of hang time) give him stats Temple punters haven't seen since Casey Murphy. Plus, he's never violated a team rule. Doesn't look like he's got the requisite vertical leap required of a Temple punter, but maybe spring ball will produce a reliable long snapper.
Desmond "Andre" Coble ATH 5-10, 180 4.4 Richmond, VA _ Could be used anywhere on the field, as a kickoff returner, defensive back or Wildcat quarterback. Tremendous acceleration in space.
Sean Daniels RB/LB/DE 6-3 220 - Highland, N.J. _ Rushed for over 1,400 yards as a senior at Highland but is versatile enough to play any of three positions at Temple. A punishing inside runner who had 242 yards in Highland's Thanksgiving Day win over Clearview, Daniels will excel anywhere Golden needs him.
Marquise Goods DB 5-11 175 - Orange, NJ _ Marquies will deliver the Goods to wide receivers and tight ends coming over the middle. He had an incredible 95 tackles last year from his cornerback position, so he's not afraid to hit people.
Elijah Grant OL 6-6 340 - Fork Union, VA _ Fits the mold of the current Owl offensive linemen in that he has the size to dominate right away. From Fork Union, via Piscataway (N.J.) High.
Aaron Hush DE 6-4 250 - Fork Union, VA _ Was the Bridgewater Courier-News' defensive Player of the Year his senior year at Piscataway High. His 18 1/2 sacks demonstrates an unstoppable motor. Gotta love the headline possibilities using the name Hush.
Tyler Johnson TE 6-7 240 4.71 Wanaque, NJ _ The second signee in this class, Johnson has excellent hands and the ablity to contribute to a talented tight end group right away. He was the second player, after Benson, to commit.
Adam Metz OL 6-5 295 - Hummelstown, PA _ All you need to know about Adam is that he was named to the Big 33 team. The Big 33 picks only the best of the best. Another Big 33 player, guard Wayne Tribue, started as a true freshman.
Deon Miller WR 6-6 200 4.7 Fork Union, VA _ Think Plaxico Burress, not only in size, but in his abliity to catch the ball in traffic. Matt Rhule always wanted to dust off the fade pass in the red zone. Miller gives him that chance.
Connor Reilly QB 6-4 180 - Fairfax, VA _ Don't let the boyish face fool you. Reilly produced measurables in touchdowns and yards that a Temple quarterback coming in hasn't had since Adam DiMichele broke all the record books at Sto-Rox. According to the Washington Post, he was 171 completions in 318 attempts for 2,279 yards and 18 touchdowns in his senior year. That's Reilly. Really. Those are more yards and touchdown passes throw for a senior year than Chris Coyer, Chester Stewart and Vaughn Charlton had in their senior seasons. To be fair, though, Coyer had to share time at QB his senior year and those undoubtedly skewed his numbers.
Anthony Robey DB 5-9 172 4.4 Norristown, PA _ Extremely fast, the 4.4 is not a misprint. Don't be deceived by the height. His coverage ability makes up for it.
Myron Ross RB 6-1 205 4.5 Ambler, PA _ Also in the 4.4, 4.5 range, Myron can help the Owls in a variety of ways and his versatility is his major asset. He can return kicks, run from scrimmage, catch passes and play defensive back.
Darryl Shine WR 5-10 175 4.45 Fullerton, CA _ All the reports from California indicate the Owls got a real star, who is capable of starting right away.
Gerald Silvera WR 6-0 180 - West Orange, NJ _ Rutgers' fans I know tell me Temple is getting a real under-the-radar prospect in Silvera. More of a possession receiver than a deep breakaway threat but, given all the drops the Owls had last fall, wouldn't you rather have a possession receiver?
Nate Smith LB 6-0 220 - Highland Park, NJ _ My personal favorite in this class is Nate Smith because I've seen the film and I believe in the same way I believed when I first saw the Glen Mills' film featuring Bernard Pierce. How did that turn out? A sportswriter I know who covered his team tells me "he has five times the talent of his brother" and his brother was an NFL tight end named L.J. Smith. That same sportswriter also covered L.J. in high school so he has a solid basis to make that comparison. I've haven't seen a Temple football player since Kevin Harvey (Paulsboro) make Sports Illustrated's Faces in the Crowd, but Nate did.
Hershey Walton OL 6-4 320 - Reading, PA _ Comes from the same town as 6-7, 300-pound Owl Darryl Pringle, who picked the game up late. Walton is a more polished version of Pringle.
Dante Weaver DT 6-2 320 - New Brunswick, NJ _ The only three-star OL prospect snagged by Golden. It's nice to know that other groups of recruiters have Weaver rated high on their board which probably means he'll be more ready to play right away.