Temple Football Position Preview; Special Teams

Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges, Temple

Mike Livingston | June 9, 2026

In the last part of our series previewing every position on Temple’s roster, it’s time to dive into special teams.

The Owls’ special teams unit could prove to be one of the most pivotal pieces of the team this coming season, from a guy who has turned himself into one of the biggest leaders in the locker room to another who has a starting role in his grasp despite never touching the field at the NCAA level. Temple’s special teams unit could make or break the Owls’ season in 2026.

Kicker –

#98, K, Carl Hardin – 5’9/160, R-Jr
Raleigh, NC (Broughton)

Carl Hardin comes into his fourth season with the Owls after walking on to the roster back in 2023.

Hardin, who began his Temple career as a kickoff specialist his freshman year and saw no action his redshirt freshman year, became the team’s primary placekicker last season.

He made his placekicking debut at UMass and went 6/6 on PATs. He’d go on to record his first career field goals vs. Howard converted his longest career field goal of 52 yards at Tulsa, earning special teams player of the game in a win. He finished the year tied for first in PAT kicking percentage in the American Conference at 100%.

Coming into 2026, Hardin has a reliable leg with undeniable power. The Owls’ kicker did well in spring camp, struggling with accuracy a bit. However, when he was on, he appeared better than most college kickers.

#32, Darren Wu – K/P, 5’9/160, R-Jr
Medford, NJ (Shawnee)

Wu has seen very limited action outside of becoming the regular holder for the Owls and serving as the first reserve at both punter and kicker.

However, he’s yet to see much action since his freshman year at Lafayette, where he mainly kicked off for the Leopards.

Punter –

#7, P, Dante Atton – 200/6’0, Sr.
Melbourne, Australia (St. Francis Xavier College)

Atton comes into the 2026 season not only as one of the best punters in the Group of Five but also as one of only two returning single-digit wearers for the Owls.

Atton, who is coming into his final year at North Broad, has seen consistent action since his freshman season, being the team’s starting punter since 2023.

Last year, Atton was selected to wear a single digit, named to the 2025 Ray Guy Award Watch List, and was named one of 10 semifinalists for the award in November, while also being selected first-team All-America by Pro Football Sports Network and named an honorable mention to Sports Info Solutions’ All-American Conference Football Team. He served as a team captain and set career highs for most punts in a game (12) and punting yards (459) vs. Oklahoma.

Atton comes into the season as the only true punter on the roster and one of the best players at that.

Long Snapper –

#97, Sam Wolfenden – LS, 6’2/245, R-Fr
Cave Creek, Ariz. (Cactus Shadows)

Wolfenden joined the Owls in the offseason after a freshman season at UNLV as a walk-on, where he saw no playing time.

He’ll be trusted as the team’s starting long snapper for the first time, with no other eligible players on the roster. However, he performed well in the spring, with little in the way of bad snaps or miscommunications on field goals and punts.

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