Recruiting spotlight: Tony Cornelius

February 1, 2008

Recruiting spotlight: Tony Cornelius

Kenny Walter
OwlScoop.com Staff Writer

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Temple's 4-8 2007 season was a three-win improvement over the previous year, and the turnaround is certainly cause for optimism on North Broad Street.

Still, Owls coach Al Golden moves forward knowing he needs more depth at the running back position, and that area has been a priority with the 2008 recruiting class.

After landing a commitment from one of the top backs in Pennsylvania two days ago, Temple got one of Florida's better prospects when Boca Raton High School's Tony Cornelius verbally accepted a scholarship offer from Golden this week.

Cornelius' announcement was the second in three days for the Owls from a running back after Ahkeem Smith from Bethlehem's Liberty High School said he intended to play at Temple next season. Cornelius and Smith join fellow verbals James Nixon and Reading High School's Malcolm Williams as players who could possibly vie for time in the Owls' backfield this fall.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Cornelius originally committed to Iowa before deciding to keep his options open. He and Smith were among the several recruits who visited Temple last weekend, and Cornelius liked what he saw.

"Temple is a good fit for me," Cornelius said in a phone interview with OwlScoop.com Friday. "Academically, it's a good school. Temple has a great business program. Football-wise, I could play earlier in my career, which is important for me."

Daryl Robinson and Jason Harper are the incumbents at tailback, but the possibility remains that Robinson could be moved to defensive back if Golden sees enough of what he likes from the incoming freshman class and redshirt freshman Joe Jones, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in preseason camp last August.

Cornelius helped Boca Raton to a 7-3 record in 2007, rushing for 737 yards and nine touchdowns on 103 carries. This was after an ankle injury limited him to 357 yards and three touchdowns as a junior.

"I think I got my speed back this season," Cornelius said. "I did a good job at running the ball. I think I just have to get bigger and stronger before I get to Temple next season."

In addition to the Iowa offer, Cornelius said he also had one from MAC rival Akron. And while he said he'll miss the comfortable temperatures of the Sunshine State, it wasn't enough to deter him from coming to Philadelphia.

"It's going to be an adjustment at first," Cornelius said, "but I'll get used to it."