With football programs sacked, players find new home at Temple

On the morning of Dec. 3, 2009, defensive back Zamel Johnson and the other members of the Hofstra football team were asked to report for an emergency meeting at the team's Hempstead, N.Y., headquarters.

"The athletic director and the football coach got up and told us that the board of trustees had a meeting, and that they had decided to discontinue the program," Johnson said on Thursday. "Everybody was shocked. It was a sad atmosphere. A lot of tears. A lot of anger. When they told us, that was the first time I heard anything about the program being dropped. There was no warning."

Like his teammates on the Pride, Johnson had the option of staying at Hofstra on scholarship, or transferring to another school with immediate eligibility. He wound up at Temple, and the redshirt freshman will play for an Owls squad that's expected to challenge for the Mid-American Conference championship after earning the program's first bowl game appearance in 30 years last season.

For Johnson, going from no-football Hofstra to rising Temple was akin to going from worst to first.

A native of Staten Island, N.Y., Johnson enrolled at Temple in January, and is now with the Owls as they go through spring drills at Edberg-Olson Hall. He also considered Bowling Green and Massachusetts.

"I'm truly blessed to be in this situation," Johnson said. "I'm thankful for being on the team, but also for being at Temple. It's great situation for me."

This summer, another refugee will join the Owls when redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Martin Wallace arrives. He was on the team at Northeastern when that school decided last winter that it could no longer afford to field a football squad.

Martin is finishing up the academic year at Northeastern.

"We heard that the programs were going to be dropped, and we talked to the coaches on both staffs," said Temple coach Al Golden said. "One of the things I learned from reading Jack Welch of GE is to look for train wrecks. Look for the positive attributes of companies that may be folding. See if they are any parts of the corporation that you might want to own or possess. At our level, we don't recruit like Texas or USC or Penn State. At our level, we had to find creative ways to secure talent. We're very excited about these guys."

While the 6-foot-6, 295-pound Wallace started every game for Northeastern last season, the 6-0, 175-pound Johnson sat out with a shoulder injury which has since healed.

Golden said that Johnson figures in the Owls defensive backfield rotation along with fellow cornerbacks Maurice Johnson, Marquise Liverpool, and Kee-ayre Griffin. Leading the Owls contingent at safety is all-MAC first teamer Jaiquawn Jarrett, who will work with Kevin Kroboth, Justin Gildea, and Deonte Parker.

"Zamel, with his work ethic, has gained 20 pounds since he's been here," Golden said. "He shows real good coverage skills, and he's in the mix to be a starter, not just to be on the team. We have the most playmaking ability in our defensive backfield since I've been here. We feel good about the whole crew."