Sam Brown has rediscovered his running burst with Temple this spring
As long as everyone stays healthy and keeps trending in the right direction, Temple running backs coach Andrew Pierce might have some fun decisions to make in late August.
Pierce and two of his players – Hunter Smith and Sam Brown – spoke with reporters following the Owls’ spring scrimmage at Chodoff Field, one that saw Brown and midyear freshmen enrollees Ameir Morrow and R.J. Blount break off some touchdown runs.
Listen to Saturday’s post-practice interviews here.
Brown, a Mount Airy native who starred at La Salle College High School, saw his four-year production at Rutgers limited by a season-ending foot injury in 2022 and a season-ending knee injury in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound redshirt senior chose Temple over Eastern Michigan in the portal and might have looked on paper like a depth addition after posting just 38 yards on 16 carries last season.
Instead, Brown has looked a lot more this spring like the younger version of himself that was once ahead of former Rutgers star and current Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai on the Scarlet Knights’ depth chart.
Pierce, who helped recruit Brown to Rutgers, said Saturday that he hasn’t been surprised to see Brown regain his old form.
“Just understanding his ability, recruiting him to Rutgers and then seeing him,” Pierce said. “At one point, he was the starter over Kyle Monangai. It’s just unfortunate that he’s been banged up through his career. And I know that’s the one thing, it’s our job to make sure that he stays healthy. But I knew he had that explosiveness and his ability to be patient, his vision, all those things. So again, that’s why I want him to be here and help us move this program forward and this offense. I think he will jell very, very well.”
Brown, Morrow and Blount are part of a backfield that also includes sophomore Keveun Mason (28 carries, 167 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman last season) and Smith, who was granted an extra season of eligibility after rushing for 403 yards and two touchdowns in 2025 as a Louisiana Monroe transfer. Mason saw some early carries in Saturday’s scrimmage, while Smith watched from the sideline. Pierce said the staff is limiting their work because both players were banged up earlier in the spring.
With Brown bringing four seasons of Big Ten experience and Smith and Mason as incumbents from last season’s 5-7 team, Blount and Morrow could also push for playing time as true freshmen. Even redshirt freshman De’Carlos Young has flashed at times, although he’s been slowed by a hamstring injury.
Of course, there’s not enough room for all six of them to work into the rotation once the season starts. Therein lies the pleasant problem to have for Pierce, a former standout running back at Delaware who played for current Temple head coach K.C. Keeler.
“Technically, for me, I would love to have three backs that I can rotate in,” Pierce said. “As you see last year, that was kind of the rotation I did. Three guys played (Jay Ducker, Hunter Smith and Joquez Smith), Keveun coming on later in the year, and that is kind of the rotation I would love to have — three guys that I can [get] in there and keep them fresh and be able to do exactly what we want them to do, because I think I’ve got an explosive room as well.”
Get more details and insight from Saturday’s spring practice scrimmage on OwlScoop’s football board.
