Temple’s Best Chance at Early Success Could Come on Special Teams

Tagged under: News, Pennsylvania Colleges, Temple

Mike Livingston | June 16, 2026

Heading into the 2026 season, Temple football is surrounded by promise, though that promise comes with uncertainty.

The Owls return numerous contributors from last season while also leaning on transfers and recruits to fill important roles. While it can be plain to see the talent in there for K.C. Keeler’s squad, many will still hesitate before coming to trust this Owls roster as a whole.

However, the one spot on this Temple team that has yet to see all too much turnover, and returns as already one of the best in the American Conference, is the Owls’ special teams.

Headed by former University of Delaware standout quarterback Brian Ginn, who comes into his second season leading the Owls’ special teams unit, Temple’s third side of the ball is in trusted hands. Trusted hands that led the Owls to one of the best special teams units in the conference in 2025.

In year one under Ginn and Keeler, the Owls had the top-ranked punting unit in the AAC, namely due to the efforts of team captain and punter Dante Atton. Temple also ranked second in punt returns and third in kickoffs.

Atton, who is one of only two returning players to don the single-digit jersey number designation, has become a leader on and off the field for the Owls while becoming one of the best punters in all of college football last season.

The product of Melbourne, Australia, comes into his final college season, where he’ll look to build on an impressive 2025, in which he was named a Ray Guy Award finalist and PFF First-team All-American.

Punt returns were covered by star receiver Jojo Bermudez in 2025, who Keeler has been on the record heralding as “the best returner in all of college football.” Bermudez returned 10 punts for 150 yards last season, good enough for 15 yards per return. Bermudez will continue in that role this year.

Kickoffs were handled by Carl Hardin, the Raleigh, North Carolina, product who now heads into his redshirt junior year. Hardin, who has a leg he has remarked as “being able to hit from 70,” has never had trouble with distance, barely missing on a 61-yarder just before halftime during the Owls’ game against Georgia Tech last season.

His bugaboo of sorts last season became his accuracy, which he attributed during spring camp to his mental game. Hardin also spoke at length about how he has worked on his psyche when going into field goal situations and saw some major improvements throughout the spring, making a majority of his pressure-situation kicks.

Hardin still performed well in 2025, helping the Owls rank sixth in the AAC in PATs with a 100% conversion rate, despite still ranking ninth in field goals.

Despite some of Hardin’s struggles, the Owls’ special teams unit as a whole still projects as a major plus in the grand scheme of things for Temple and may become one of the most important facets of the team early on while the defense, and certainly the offense, find their footing together.

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