On a day when most schools are adding high school talent, the Temple Owls football team is infusing its roster Power Five transfers.
Late Wednesday morning, the school confirmed that safety Kwantel Raines and defensive end Manny Walker have officially been added to the Temple Owls football team. Raines, who is already enrolled in classes, comes to the AAC school from West Virginia, Walker from Wake Forest.
Walker had announced his move to the Temple Owls football team Feb. 2. As a graduate transfer, the lineman will be eligible to play immediately in 2020. The upcoming season will be his final year of eligibility.
Raines, though, will have to sit out the upcoming season. That would then leave him with two years of eligibility to use beginning in 2021.
Walker was a three-star member of the Demon Deacons’ 2016 recruiting class. He was rated as the No. 13 player regardless of position in the state of South Carolina during that cycle.
As a true freshman, Walker took a redshirt. The following season, an injury during summer camp sidelined him for the entire 2017 campaign. The past two seasons, Walker played in 22 games, including 10 appearances in 2019.
The lineman was credited with 16 tackles, five tackles for losses, two sacks and an interception during his time with the Demon Deacons.
Originally a four-star 2018 signee, Raines was rated as the No. 7 player regardless of position in the state of Pennsylvania. He was also the No. 18 safety in the country. Only one player in WVU’s class that year, defensive end Dante Stills, was rated higher than the Aliquippa product.
Despite that recruiting pedigree, Raines played in just seven games for the Mountaineers. Six of those appearances came during the 2019 campaign.
In addition to Raines and Walker, Temple also announced the addition of Michael Niese as a transfer. At FCS Dayton, the offensive lineman played in 32 games the past three seasons. He started 16 of those contests.
As is the case with Walker, Niese comes to the Owls as a graduate transfer.