Temple Adds Kelley, Vannestte While McQueen Flips to Syracuse
Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges, Temple
Mike Livingston | June 23, 2026
Temple bolstered the defensive side of its 2027 recruiting class with its two latest commitments last Thursday, bringing in three-star safety Hezikiah Kelley and linebacker Quinn Vannestte, while also losing one of its most promising offensive names in Mikey McQueen.
Vannestte is the third linebacker to join the class, bolstering a noticeably thin position for Temple in 2026, while Kelley follows fellow commit Jaden Days as the second safety to pledge at one of the Owls’ deepest positions.
Kelley, rated a three-star by Rivals, stands 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, and comes from Northwest HS in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was ranked the No. 29 player in the state. Kelley boasted offers from the likes of Toledo, Kentucky, and Eastern Michigan, among others, before verbally committing to the Owls.
The commitment came following Kelley’s June 12 visit to North Broad, his first and only official visit to any school.
As for Vannestte, the Ottawa, Ontario, native enters his senior year at Tabor Academy standing 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and is rated a three-star by 247Sports.
Vannestte was a pawn in the never-ending recruiting war between Syracuse and Temple, with the Orange originally seen as the favorite to land the Canadian.
On the other side of that battle landed McQueen, who flipped his commitment to Cuse just days after pledging to the Owls.
McQueen notably ended up being listed as a cornerback when committing to the Orange after joining Temple as a wide receiver. McQueen played both in high school, but Temple preferred him at the receiver spot.
Following last week’s shuffle, the Owls currently hold 14 high school commits, which ranks third in the AAC and 83rd in the nation according to On3.
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