Starting quarterback D’Wan Mathis leaves Temple football

Temple freshman quarterback D’Wan Mathis has left the football program with two games remaining in the season. Mathis transferred before the 2021 season after playing three games for Georgia, finishing with 1223 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions as a passer behind one of the worst offensive lines in all of college football.

The Owls are 3-7 this season, 1-5 in the American Conference, and are scheduled to play at Tulsa on Saturday in Oklahoma, then come home for Senior Day against Navy. Right now the program is caught up in multiple issues outside of just losing, with former running back Iverson Clement starting a firestorm on social media that show the cracks in the program.

Like Mathis, Clement was an SEC transfer. Players coming from the nation’s premiere conference tend to know their value, which might run afoul of Carey’s challenging style. But the athleticism and speed of Mathis is apparent on film, despite having to create most of the offense himself. He should have plenty of suitors seeking his services in the transfer portal.

If this isn’t the end of the Rod Carey Era in Philly, it would be a stunner. The program has fallen off a cliff since Matt Rhule left for Baylor and Geoff Collins headed to Georgia Tech, taking one of the better eras in program history with them. Temple was already one of the most challenging places to win in all of FBS, and it seem whomever the new coach is will be inheriting a mess on Broad Street.