Latrell Jean traveled to Norman, Oklahoma for Temple Football’s season opener in August eager to make an immediate impact. The former Florida Atlantic defensive tackle transferred to North Broad Street in May and was identified by fans as a potential difference maker early on in training camp.
Temple underwent a complete makeover during the offseason. The team brought in more than 40 new players and Jean was one of the most significant additions. After linebacker Jordan Magee was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL Draft in April, there was hope Jean could help fill the void the Commanders’ linebacker left.
It took 10 minutes for Jean to appear on the stat sheet in Temple’s season opener. Midway through the first quarter, Sooners’ quarterback Jackson Arnold was pummeled by a pursuing Jean. He made a splash in his first game, finishing with two tackles and a sack.
“I played in games like that before my last spot,” Jean said. “I didn’t look at that game as I was playing Oklahoma. It’s another game, it’s another opponent. So me going in, I was just ready to play.”
Just four games into his Temple career, the recent addition is helping fuel a new look defense while also playing a key role as the leader of an improving unit.
Jean entered the transfer portal late compared to most transfers, he waited until March after five seasons at FAU. The process made him feel like he was a high school recruit again, and he was unsure where he was going to land.
He went into the process open-minded, but the ball started rolling once the Owls came calling. Jean struck up a relationship with Temple defensive tackles coach Kevon Beckwith and it didn’t take long before it was a done deal.
“During the recruiting process, we were looking for those type of guys that had those leadership intangibles,” Beckwith said. “You never know what you’re going to get out the portal. We just felt like just the conversations that we had, the numerous conversations every day, we felt like it was real.”
When Jean arrived in Philadelphia, it was defensive tackle Demerick Morris who took him under his wing. Morris, who is in his fifth season at Temple, showed his fellow defensive linemen the lay of the land so Jean could get comfortable in his new home.
It didn’t take long for Jean to make an impression. Whether it was studying the playbook or watching film, he was a helping hand to the younger players. The coaches took notice of the work that the newly established leader was putting in throughout the offseason.
“He is the example of being a leader when things are not going well,” said head coach Stan Drayton. “Sometimes you got leaders, and then when things are not going well, they’re struggling themselves to kind of fight through it. He’s a next play mentality.”
Drayton noticed Jean’s hard work and after just 99 days at Edberg-Olson Hall, Jean was rewarded with a single-digit jersey number, a tradition at Temple given to players who best demonstrates the “Temple TUFF” mantra both on and off the field.
Jean had no previous knowledge of what a single digit was or the importance of the honor. However, he earned it with ease after just three months on campus, taking it with pride after trying to prove himself since stepping foot in North Philadelphia.
“That’s one of the most important things that I care about when it comes to earning respect your from teammates and coaches,” Jean said. “The single-digit just kind of added on to it. I didn’t know about it and I now see how big of a deal it is.”
Jean followed up his Owls debut by recording three tackles in Temple’s 38-11 loss to Navy on Sept. 7. While he has been one of the main contributors on the defensive unit, he has also used his experience as one of the older players on the team to make a positive impact. The squad is coming off its best performance of the season against Utah State and there is room for more improvement.
Jean has been one of the anchors on the team and is vital to making the squad more consistent. The sixth-year player has made his mark on the stat sheet, but has been the example needed to establish Drayton’s culture.
“I attack everything, I’m going to lead by example,” Jean said. “I’m one of those guys that you don’t got to look after or look over to see ‘Is Latrell gonna do what he’s supposed to?’ I’m not that guy. I’m the guy who’s going to do what he needs to do.”
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