Does transfer Gevani McCoy have the skills to beat out Evan Simon for Temple’s starting QB job? Here’s what the film says

In the weeks leading up to spring practice and even as practices were underway, Temple coach K.C. Keeler remained committed to adding a quarterback when the transfer portal reopened on April 16.

Nine days later, Keeler and offensive coordinator Tyler Walker did just that, grabbing one with starting experience at two schools: Gevani McCoy, the dual-threat player who threw for 1,300 yards and three touchdowns and added an additional five rushing touchdowns in 10 games as Oregon State’s starter last season.

Before moving to Corvallis, Ore., he spent three seasons on the FCS level at Idaho, with his most prolific season coming as a redshirt freshman. McCoy threw for 2,719 yards and 27 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, set the Idaho single-season completion percentage record (68.4%), and won the Jerry Rice Award for the most outstanding freshman at the FCS level. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, he led the Vandals to the FCS quarterfinals.

» READ MORE: Temple’s annual Cherry and White game showed flashes of good, alongside room for improvement

Although last season wasn’t as promising, as Oregon State was rebuilding and without a conference after the dissolution of the Pac-12, McCoy recorded career highs in rushing yards (328) and rushing touchdowns (five).

At Temple, the likely incumbent starter is Evan Simon, who threw for 2,032 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, Simon isn’t considered a dual threat. With McCoy’s 33 games of starting experience between the FBS and FCS, does his skill set likely mesh more with Keeler and Walker’s run-heavy philosophy?

Here’s what the film says:

At just 6 feet and 183 pounds, McCoy is a bit small for a quarterback, but his athleticism and elusiveness quickly stand out watching him at both Idaho and Oregon State. Particularly last season, McCoy’s open-field speed was on display, with a 71-yard scoring scamper against UNLV, a 29-yard rushing score against Colorado State, and a 37-yard run against Oregon showing his elusiveness.

The runs against Oregon and UNLV are especially noteworthy, because they came on drop-back passes and McCoy escaped the pocket after surveying downfield. That added dimension will make it difficult for defenses to fully commit to falling back into coverage or blitzing McCoy because of his ability to find running lanes when nothing is open downfield.

Where that skill set will be particularly helpful is in the red zone, when the field condenses and the coverage is generally tighter. Three of McCoy’s five rushing touchdowns last season came in the red zone on designed runs.

As Keeler said in January about what Temple’s offensive identity will be: “You’re not going to see us on fourth-and-a-half-yard put five wide receivers on the field. That’s not who we can be.”

Expect McCoy’s rushing ability to be an equalizer in the quarterback battle in training camp.

» READ MORE: Huddling with the Owls: A peek inside as Temple’s football staff builds a new culture

At Idaho, McCoy was a much more prolific passer, and Walker got to see him up close when the Vandals hosted Montana State in 2023, Walker’s first season as the tight ends/fullbacks coach for the Bobcats.

In that game, McCoy completed 75.9% of his passes and threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns in leading Idaho to a 24-21 win. The Vandals coaching staff consistently moved the pocket for McCoy to change the launch point for him and give him an opportunity to use his athleticism if his receivers couldn’t break open.

The native of Baldwin Hills, Calif., also thrived throwing off play-action at both of his previous stops. According to Pro Football Focus, McCoy completed 66% of his passes off play action last season at Oregon State, with an average target depth of 10.5 yards, and threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns.

Those numbers were about the same at Idaho, as he completed 64.9% of his passes off play action for 1,071 yards and five touchdowns to one interception, with an average target depth of 12.7 yards.

Although McCoy needs to be more consistent as a drop-back passer and a better decision-maker attacking the middle of the field, he has enough arm talent to make throws all over the field.

Over his last two seasons, McCoy had a PFF grade of 93.7 or higher on passes that traveled at least 20 yards downfield. Last season just 9.3% of his passing attempts traveled that distance, and he completed 42.9% of those attempts for 247 yards and two scores, according to PFF. One pass in particular that stands out is his 55-yard touchdown connection in his first start for Oregon State — off play action.

He was far more prolific throwing down the field in 2023 at Idaho, completing 43.1% on throws of at least 20 yards for 694 yards and five touchdowns. Taking those shots downfield opens up the offense further and could prevent defenses from loading the box to stop the run.

That skill set should prove helpful in an offense that will be run-heavy. Creating explosive plays in the passing game is what made Keeler’s offense at Sam Houston State successful and a big reason Walker’s offense at Montana State won the FCS national championship.

» READ MORE: At Temple, K.C. Keeler’s plans for recruiting, NIL strategy, and the transfer portal are taking shape

Time will tell whether McCoy can take the starting position from Simon, who brings a steady presence and is a more polished passer. But McCoy’s rushing ability could make the Owls offense more dynamic in several ways. The competition during training camp should be intense.