Dating back to his time as the Owls’ recruiting coordinator, Rhule asked himself a question that would determine Temple’s ceiling: “How are we ever going to beat (Penn State) if they automatically get the first pick over us?” Rhule meant in recruiting where, even mired in scandal, the Nittany Lions recruited at a level well above Temple’s capability. Penn State’s 2014 class ranked 24th nationally. The Owls signed the nation’s No. 69 overall class in Rhule’s first full cycle as a head coach.
Rhule needed a way to scale the gap. Rhule’s long-time defensive coordinator, Phil Snow, taught Rhule in the early 2000s at UCLA the importance of track times in recruiting. He wanted a verification of a player’s speed.
Over a decade later, Rhule took that philosophy a step further. Knowing could never land the type of polished standout Penn State did annually, Rhule stocked his roster with raw, high-upside athletes. They required development but many of the players shared traits the NFL desired: Speed, length, size, explosiveness.
