Temple, Addazio have successful recruiting season

The euphoria oozing out of Temple makes the school's Big East snub feel like a hiccup.

That's because Steve Addazio is showing why he has been regarded as a master recruiter. And this national signing day may be another indication that the first-year head coach is building the Owls into a program the Big East will covet.

But perhaps the best news for Temple's faithful is the scheduled transfer of former Penn State quarterback Kevin Newsome.

The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder, who left Penn State in August, is taking classes at Tidewater Community College in Virginia.

Newsome, who will sign a national letter of intent to Temple on Wednesday, can't transfer until he graduates in July. The 21-year-old will join the Owls in August and have two years of eligibility.

"I'm confident in coach Addazio as a head coach and more as a man," Newsome said Tuesday.

Newsome will most likely take the scholarship that was awarded to former redshirt junior Mike Gerardi, last season's opening-day starting quarterback who has decided to leave the team, according to multiple sources.

"Temple is definitely what I want," Newsome said. "I know Philly is a good city. My grandfather lives in Philly, my uncle lives in Philly. It's my second home."

Newsome continued: "It just feels like Temple, in many ways, is the right direction for me."

As a freshman in 2009, the Portsmouth, Va., native was Daryll Clark's backup at Penn State. Newsome was expected to be the Nittany Lions quarterback in 2010 but was beaten out by Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin.

In his two seasons at State College, he was known more as a running quarterback.

Newsome had 34 carries for 154 yards with three touchdowns while seeing limited action in 15 games. He also completed 14 of 24 passes for 144 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions.

Archbishop Wood defensive back Nate Smith, Red Land defensive tackle Bret Niederreither, Phoebus (Va.) wide receiver Romond Deloatch, North Marion (Fla.) running back Jamie Gilmore, and Rancocas Valley offensive tackle Ray Korang are among 28 high school seniors expected to sign national letter of intents on Wednesday.

"I know a few guys on here that are definitely BCS-caliber football players and didn't head that way for academic reasons or other different reasons," said Mike Farrell, a national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.

Farrell ranks Temple's recruiting class second in the Mid-American Conference behind Toledo.

Smith and Niederreither both originally gave oral commitments to West Virginia. But they changed their minds after West Virginia defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel resigned to coach at Arizona under Rich Rodriguez.

Smith "is the best player in this class," Farrell said of The Inquirer's all-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection. "He's a high level three-star kid, who can return [kicks and punts]. And he can play offense and defense."

There was a belief that the 6-foot, 185-pounder would pick Temple before he originally committed to West Virginia back on October.

That's because his Wood teammate, running back Brandon Peoples, gave an oral commitment to Temple in June. And Smith built a relationship with the Owls coaches and players.

"He has a chance to play around his family and friends," Wood coach Steve Devlin said. "And he also knows a lot of guys going to Temple, so he feels that it is a great chance for him."

After withdrawing from his West Virginia commitment, Niederreither, a 6-3, 250-pounder, chose the Owls over Georgia Tech.

Unlike those two, Korang, who committed to Temple in June, was never interested in playing for a BCS team despite having an offer from Louisville. The 6-8, 305-pounder was also receiving interest from Miami, Syracuse, Boston College, and Rutgers.

"Temple is where I belong," Korang said.

Why?

"So I can dominate the MAC," he said. "Yeah, you know what I mean."

Deloatch and Gilmore might be thinking the same thing.

Deloatch, a 6-4, 213-pounder, was receiving late recruiting interest from Virginia Tech. He is competing in the Team USA vs. The World all-star football game, which will be played Wednesday in Texas.

Gilmore, a 5-8, 185-pound speedster, had 14 scholarship offers. He chose the Owls over Western Kentucky and South Florida.

Gilmore is regarded as the nation's ninth-best all-purpose back by Rivals.com.

Running back Montrell Dobbs and linebacker Tyler Matakevich, are also newcomers to the Owls program. The two Milford Academy (N.J.) products, who are officially part of last year's recruiting class, have signed scholarships and enrolled at Temple on Jan. 17.

Ronnie Gillespie, who committed to Temple in June, will not sign a letter of intent on Wednesday. The Upper Perkiomen wideout/defensive back will go to a to-be-determined junior college.