Allan Haye reflects on returning to Tulsa and his injury recovery

As Temple prepares for another American Conference road test, this one at Tulsa Saturday (3:30 p.m., ESPN+), the trip carries the weight of another step toward bowl eligibility and some personal history for defensive tackle Allan Haye. 

For Haye, it’s a return to the very site where his season was abruptly cut short two years ago. 

In his first season at Temple as a Miami transfer, Haye was playing well back on Sept. 28, 2023 at Tulsa, having just registered his first sack of his college career. 

But soon after, he sustained a season-ending knee injury that he admits slowed him even last season when he returned for the 2024 campaign. 

Now fully recovered and a single-digit member of Temple’s defense, Haye is not shying away from the memory. 

Instead, he’s using it as fuel, viewing the journey back to Tulsa not as a reminder of past pain, but as a measure of his and his team’s resilience. 

“When I did get that injury back in Tulsa, their fans and everything took care of me,” Haye shared when asked about returning to play at Tulsa’s Chapman Stadium. “They were supportive. But it is fun to know I’m going back to the same environment, the same place where I took a little pause in my career. It is definitely a good feeling to get back there.” 

At the time of that injury, Haye was a relatively inexperienced player finding his footing. Now, the 6-foot-2, 310-pound redshirt senior from Margate, Florida has matured into a veteran leader on a defensive unit that has helped fuel Temple’s 4-3 start. 

Haye’s excitement for a rematch against a 2-5 Tulsa team definitely overshadows any nerves. 

“It’s definitely going to be exciting, for sure,” Haye said with a smile Monday in speaking to reporters at Edberg-Olson Hall. “When I went into that game (back in 2023), I was having a day. Then, sadly, I got hurt. But I was having a day, and I’m expecting to have another day. So, I’m not nervous. I’m very excited.” 

A significant component of his excitement stems from his health. 

After spending last season working his way back, Haye feels like a different player in 2025. 

“From the beginning of the season to now, I’ve been getting better in terms of my leg and my injuries,” Haye explained. “I don’t feel [anything] like how I felt last season. Last season, I was kind of recovering. Now I feel damn near 100%. I’m good.” 

Haye’s return to full strength has been boosted by the improved depth around him. No longer is the defensive line reliant on a few players to carry an unsustainable snap count.

“It helped me a lot,” Haye said of the added depth. “Since I came here, there wasn’t really too much depth that we had at my position, so I had to play a lot of snaps early. But right now, we’ve  got dudes where, if I go down, or another dude goes down, the next dude coming up is going to be able to do the same thing we could do. So it’s definitely beneficial. Guys stay fresh, guys stay healthy, guys can fly around.” 

The “fly around” ability Haye mentioned has been essential to the defense’s identity, specifically in creating turnovers.

Temple scored two defensive touchdowns last Saturday in its 49-14 win at Charlotte, including cornerback Adrian Laing’s 64-yard interception return and safety Louis Frye’s 73-yard fumble return. 

Creating turnovers, Haye said, is a point of emphasis drilled into them daily. 

“We try to make sure we get at least two turnovers a day,” Haye shared. “We try and make sure, because if it don’t happen in practice, it’s not gonna happen in the game. So we try to make sure that it’s a habit that we build so on game day, it’s just the norm.” 

For Haye and the Owls, the focus is squarely on the present. The past, whether it’s last week’s win or an injury from two years ago, is a reference point, not an anchor. 

The goal is to keep the momentum rolling. 

“Even though we had a good game versus Charlotte, it’s time to flush it,” Haye said. “We got Tulsa. We got to keep the train rolling. So that’s basically where our mind is.” 

As for the joy he’s been displaying on the field, Haye said it’s simply the product of a love for the game, one he said he started playing later in life. 

“I think it comes from me starting late, to be honest,” Haye said. “Because most dudes, they’ve been playing since they were little, so they kind of get tired of it or beat up. I’ve still got that hunger, like I’m five because I just started. So I’ve got a long journey ahead of me. That’s how I feel.”