Temple will conduct its first spring football practice this coming Tuesday, Feb. 28. It's probably the earliest start date I can remember in recent memory.
The Owls will go on a Tuesday-Thursday schedule until the university's spring break, which starts the week of March 6. That will give the team a 12-day break from spring ball.
From there, they'll go on a Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule, with the spring Cherry and White game set for Saturday, April 8.
Reporters will only be given access to the first 15 minutes of practice, which is typically when the players stretch and warm up, so we won't be seeing any practice reps. A coach and two players will be made available to reporters at the end of each session, and Stan Drayton will speak once a week. I'm told we'll get to speak to all of the assistant coaches at least once.
Another source I spoke with yesterday said Drayton is close to hiring his new chief of staff. That position was vacated when Everett Withers, who had a hand in shaping Drayton's first staff on North Broad Street, left to become the assistant head coach and defensive passing game coordinator at Florida Atlantic.
There are several position battles to watch, especially with several midyear enrollees on campus and ready to compete in the coming weeks, like running back, offensive line, wide receiver, safety and backup quarterback, where Ocean Township High School graduate Tyler Douglas will compete for snaps with Quincy Patterson and E.J. Warner. Drayton also said earlier this month that the program hopes to add more depth there.
At safety, Florida transfer Kamar Wilcoxson and Colorado State transfer Tywan Francis will be players to watch as they look to compete for snaps, and fellow Colorado State transfer Dante Wright could make an immediate impact at wide receiver.
Drayton and his staff will also get a spring look at Purdue transfer and kickoff specialist Chris Van Eekeren and new punter Dante Atton.
And of course at running back, Harrisburg High School standout Kyle Williams will get an early start on trying to spark a rushing offense that was among the worst in the country last year. FIU transfer E.J. Wilson could and should be in the mix there, too.