Temple’s tight ends emerge as the backbone of a rising offense

Tagged under: Pennsylvania Colleges, Temple

Mike Livingston | March 19, 2026

Tight end may have just become Temple football’s most impactful position, with two ramifying players on the line of scrimmage and one boisterous voice in the locker room.

Spearheaded by senior tight end Peter Clarke, the Owls’ tight end room has become a focal point of the Temple offense over the past two seasons. On and off the field, players like Clarke, Ryder Kusch, Daniel Evert and, looking back on past talent, David Martin-Robinson have helped define the Owls.

Now, with a quarterback competition that projects to carry into fall camp and an offense with more talent than the Owls have had in years — but, more importantly, heavy expectations following a promising 2025 campaign — Temple’s tight ends seem to be right in the middle of things, literally.

“We had a phenomenal season,” Clarke said following Thursday’s practice. “It should have ended better than it did. After the season, there were a lot of guys who were top-50 at their position, and a lot of guys who were at the top tier at the Group of Five level. So there were a bunch of guys who were getting hounded, and we kind of came together and said, ‘Hey, we’ve been here two or three years, we’ve been through a coaching change, and the best football is ahead of us. If we stick together, we can turn this place around.’”

Clarke, who had offers from other teams and numerous chances to leave the Owls in the offseason, was one of many starters from last season who chose to stay. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound London, England, product has spent all three years of his college career with the Owls and is coming off a career year in which he recorded 483 yards on 30 receptions for six touchdowns, emerging as one of quarterback Evan Simon’s favorite targets en route to a 5-7 season.

Behind Clarke, Ryder Kusch also made a name for himself. While totaling 60 yards on the season, he found the end zone three times and performed well as the No. 2 tight end.

With another year under their belts, Clarke and Kusch project to fit seamlessly into an Owls offense that will feature the likes of Colin Chase, JoJo Bermudez, and Jayce Freeman, along with players like Hunter Smith and Sam Brown out of the backfield, forming a formidable offensive repertoire for whoever wins the starting quarterback job between transfer duo Ajani Sheppard and Jaxon Smolik.

“One thing I was lucky enough with as a vet is that I was directly involved in a lot of these guys’ recruiting process,” Clarke said. “I got to know them on their visit, spend some time with them, show them Philadelphia and sell them on this place. So when they get here and everything is new, they look to a guy who was on their visit to show them how things are done.”

And while players like Sheppard and Smolik look to Clarke off the field, they have also been looking to him on the field.
Clarke has unsurprisingly emerged as one of the quarterbacks’ favorite targets in the first few scrimmage drills of spring practice. He stands out in the middle of the field as a steady target who has been able to corral even errant passes and then turn upfield with physicality after the catch.

As for Kusch, the true sophomore from White Rock, British Columbia, has become a key target in the flat and on short crossing routes, using a frame he said he has worked on over the offseason to body up the Owls’ defense after the catch in short-yardage situations.

“I feel like it (our physicality) is great,” Kusch said. “I feel like we’re learning the plays and attacking. We’re fast, we’re physical — it’s just been about developing that knowledge.”

Along with Clarke and Kusch, who project as the top two tight ends, Daniel Evert and Penn State transfer Joey Schlaffer sit behind them and have performed well through the first few weeks of camp.

Schlaffer, in particular, has taken to the offense well, finding a niche in the passing game when he gets his snaps.
Aside from Schlaffer, however, the tight end room looks nearly identical to how it did last year, with four of the five players in the room returning from 2025.

That continuity has allowed the group to move forward without needing to bring newcomers up to speed or identify new starters.
There is little doubt that Clarke and Kusch will be anchors in the middle of the Temple offense in 2026, leading a unit looking to build on last season’s foundation.

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