Following Temple’s hiring of head coach K.C. Keeler, the players on the team were left with decisions to make. In the era of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness, it is not uncommon for there to be mass roster turnover.
So when Keeler arrived on 10th and Diamond, some players began to hop into the portal. However, there was one position group not quite ready to leave.
Temple’s defensive line group all met with Keeler and made a decision together. They formed a pact to stay at Temple despite a complete staff overhaul on the horizon. The returning Owls wanted to help fix a once-proud program under new leadership and vowed to do so. Through a tight bond and motivation to win, Temple’s defense line is helping instill Keeler’s culture to bring success back to North Philadelphia.
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“If we’re going to do it with anybody, we’re going to do it with each other,” said defensive lineman Allan Haye ”We’re going to stay here and just thug it out and get it done by ourselves. Since everybody else was leaving here and everything was falling apart, we’re just gonna be the glue to put the pieces back together.”
Haye, along with defensive linemen Sekou Kromah and Sultan Badmus, headlined the key returners in the defensive trenches. The trio all played regular snaps last season, with Haye and Kromah working as rotational defensive linemen and Badmus becoming the only true freshman to play in every game.
When former head coach Stan Drayton was fired on Nov. 17, 2024 and the transfer portal opened a few weeks later, the three players easily could have taken their talents elsewhere. But they didn’t and stayed as the new coaching staff was put in place around them. While they were aware of the pedigree Keeler brought, the decision to stay did not hinge on the staff but on each other.
“That decision to stay wasn’t really on them,” Haye said. “It was really on us because the bonds we created and stuff. But, when we did hear the head coach that we were gonna get was K.C. Keeler, we did do our research, looked up his history, the other schools he’s been at and he was legit.”
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Most of Temple’s defensive line was set on returning, but one key cog decided to go portaling. Demerick Morris, a single-digit, who spent five years with the Owls, transferred to Oklahoma State. However, things did not work out with Morris in Stillwater and he returned to Temple in the spring.
Despite initially choosing to leave, the group that made the pact welcomed Morris back with open arms. With the experience he had, he seamlessly fit back in with the group built on their bond.
“Sometimes when you go chase opportunity, it is not really what you think,” Morris said. “So you come back to your brothers, who you are with since day one. So, it was a smooth transition, but it was just kind of building that trust back and keeping the communication open and just being up for each other.”
The group got to work with Morris back in the fold and immediately began impressing in spring camp. The unit continued to grow closer and drew more praise from coaches in summer camp as one of the top units on defense.
While they impressed on the field, their leadership also began to take full effect.
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One of the longstanding traditions at Temple is the single-digit jersey number. It is one of the highest honors a player can receive as it shows they emulate “Temple TUFF” on and off the field. In the defensive line room, two players earned a single-digit, Haye and Kromah. With how respected the tradition is, it is an honor they do not carry lightly.
“As a single digit, in our heads, because Coach K.C. is telling us that this is our team, we got to make sure everybody’s on point,” Kromah said. “It is up to us to make sure the whole team is on the same page. That’s one thing we’re really working on and making sure everybody is on the right track.”
The group’s leadership and bond have led them to be a bright spot for Temple three weeks into the season.
Kromah already has 10 tackles with two-and-a-half tackles for loss, while Haye, Morris and the rest of the group have made their presence felt with consistent quarterback pressures. The depth the room has due to the amount of guys who returned has made the life of defensive line coach Cedric Calhoun as easy as possible.
“Our defense up front is multiplicity,” Calhoun said. “So, in this defense, guys have a lot of opportunity to create position flexibility. So, educating them about their IQ and what the defense is all about, because up front you got to build a defense inside out.”
The defensive linemen who decided to return represent the bond they have built in their time playing together. The group made a pact to remain in the Cherry and White and help fix the program. Players like Haye, Kromah and Morris will graduate after the season, but they hope the impact they leave will be felt for years to come in Edberg-Olson Hall.
“I want to leave a mark here, Kromah said. “And I want to leave a standard here that everybody should follow.”