Sekou Kromah is carving out a role on Owls' defensive line

It’s become one of K.C. Keeler’s favorite anecdotes.

When the veteran head coach first met with his players back in December after taking over for former head coach Stan Drayton, he was adamant about not wanting players who were “realistic.” He has high expectations for his team and wants players who believe they can reach those expectations despite a lack of recent success. 

If players were not realistic, then Temple was not the place for them, according to Keeler. 

It resonated with Sekou Kromah.

“During the team meeting, he said he doesn’t want guys who aren’t unrealistic,” the 6-foot-3, 280-pound senior defensive lineman said. “
And I like that. I’m unrealistic. I want everything that’s unrealistic, like winning the championship, all of that. Because I’m gonna make that realistic.” 

Kromah, who played at North Jersey’s East Orange High School, came to Temple last season from New York’s Monroe College and found a spot in the defensive line rotation fairly quickly. Kromah finished the season with 20 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He hit his stride against UTSA on Nov. 22 with five tackles and half a sack. 

Coming into fall camp, Temple’s defensive line has some returning production, including Kromah. Former single-digit Demerick Morris is back after initially transferring to Oklahoma State in the winter transfer portal window, as are sophomore defensive end Sultan Badmus, redshirt senior defensive tackle  Allan Haye and redshirt junior defensive tackle K.J. Miles. Temple also added UMass transfer Aaron Beckwith for more depth at defensive tackle 

Retention of that level is somewhat rare in today’s era of college football, but Kromah thinks their chemistry could be a significant help.

“It’s great having seniors coming back,” Kromah said. “I’m cool with a lot of them and I’ll be with them every day. So I feel like us having that chemistry, we could just bring the young guys as a part of it so we could all just be one.”

The first day of fall camp Wednesday was just average in Keeler’s eyes. While the offense had its way with the defense through the air, it was a different story on the ground. 

The offense could not get much going with its running backs, outside of a couple solid runs from Jay Ducker near the end of practice. The defensive line, including Kromah, was disruptive and created pressure. The Owls’ defense was abysmal against the run last season, giving up 226 yards per game, which was third worst in the country. 

Keeler brought in defensive coordinator Brian Smith and defensive line coach Charles Calhoun to help reach those “unrealistic” expectations. 

After Temple’s fourth straight three-win season, Kromah is ready to help turn the page with the second-winningest active head coach. 

“His history says it all for me,” said Kromah, who was credited Friday with a simulated sack according to the team’s practice blog. “I’m buying in, so I feel like if it’s everybody buying in, we could for sure get a win.” 

Keeler brought Kromah to the American Conference media day last week, showing a leadership role could be in store for Kromah this season. 

At the American media day, Temple was also picked to finish last in an unofficial preseason poll conducted by a handful of reporters, which Kromah understands is based on the last couple of seasons.

“That’s what the people have seen from the last couple of years,” Kromah said. “But this year is something different. I’m not gonna let the poll define what this team is, so we are going to fix that for sure.” 

For Kromah, the unofficial poll gives Temple an underdog mentality, something he is prepared to embrace and thrive in this season. 

“We’re underdogs and we’ve been underdogs,” Kromah said. “So we are just going to get down to the gritty, and when it’s time to do the job, we’re going to make sure to get the job done.”