'Dominate the state?' Not if Temple can help it

"Dominate the state" became Penn State football's new catchphrase in January almost immediately after coach James Franklin ended his first news conference.

The three words were printed on T-shirts and hats. Franklin said his plan was to command Pennsylvania's recruiting scene. And it proved to be more than coach-speak - the Nittany Lions' 2015 recruiting class is ranked fourth in the nation by Rivals.com.

Temple's second-year coach, Matt Rhule, said the phrase belittles Pennsylvania's other colleges. The former Penn State linebacker said he wants Temple to "serve the state," not dominate it.

"I don't want to belittle any other school by saying we're going to dominate this or that," Rhule said Sunday. "I want to do the best job we can do at Temple, represent Temple and represent Pennsylvania the right way. However they do things, he's a good guy, I'm sure they're doing it well, but I'm really proud of the way we recruit."

Franklin and Rhule held one-day camps on Sunday at their respective football facilities. Rhule extended a scholarship offer to Imhotep Charter running back Tyliek Raynor. The 5-foot-10, 175-pounder will be a junior in the fall. He rushed for 918 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. Raynor also has an offer from Buffalo.

Rhule said he considers the Owls' recruiting base to be Philadelphia, the four surrounding counties, and South Jersey. The coach's plan is to have every area recruit visit Temple, meet the staff, and see if the Owls are a fit.

"We go out and we find kids that are sometimes in towns where they didn't get a lot of attention or notoriety," said Rhule. "They come here and they end up being Muhammad Wilkerson, Jaiquawn Jarrett. We pride ourselves on working extra hard, looking under every nook and cranny."

Penn State recruit. Manny Bowen, an outside linebacker from Barnegat (N.J.) High School, announced on Twitter that he has decided to attend Penn State with the freshman class of 2015. The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Bowen is rated as a four-star recruit by Scout.com and received three stars from Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.

Heading to 'Nova. Following in the footsteps of his brother and father, West Chester Henderson defensive lineman Bryan White has committed to play football at Villanova starting in 2015.

White's brother, T.J., is a redshirt sophomore linebacker for the Wildcats. Their, father, Ted, was a defensive lineman for the squad in the mid-1980s.

@matt_breen