New Temple coach Steve Addazio hopes to finish the job that Al Golden started on North Broad Street.

"Finishing the job" means winning a MAC East crown, a MAC title and even a bowl game or two while he's at Temple. Golden did some amazing things -- taking the Owls from laughingstock status to back-to-back winning seasons with 17 total wins over the past two seasons -- but all three of those prizes (MAC East title, MAC title, a bowl win) eluded him at Temple.

After flirting with other jobs, Golden flew from the Owls' nest for Miami (Fla.), but he left Temple a much better program than when he arrived. That was evident in the caliber of candidates that interviewed for the opening this time around -- including the two finalists for the job: Addazio (the University of Florida's offensive coordinator and a dogged recruiter) and Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley.

Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw ultimately chose to hire Addazio, ending a strange calendar year for the former Gators assistant. You might recall that when Florida head coach Urban Meyer took a leave of absence after the 2009 season because of health and family issues, it was Addazio who was named Florida's interim head coach through the 2010 recruiting season and into spring football. Meyer returned to the team, then retired after this past season, which represented a downturn for the program. Meyer and Addazio were criticized heavily in Gator Nation for an offense that sputtered in the absence of quarterback Tim Tebow.

Despite those struggles, Temple decided Addazio was their man. But soon after taking the Temple job, Addazio's name surfaced in relation to a messy head coach hiring at the University of Connecticut that resulted in a prominent booster requesting the return of a $3 million donation. The booster apparently wanted Addazio to get the job, and the details of what happened and what did not are a little murky.

"Absolutely not. I'm here," Addazio said, asked if he expressed any back-channel interest in the job. "I'm from Connecticut. I played college ball there. I coached high school ball there. So my name coming up was bound to happen, but there's nothing there.

"There's a lot here still to be accomplished. Al (Golden) molded the program, but we haven't won the East, not won the MAC, and not won a bowl game. Those are the immediate goals and that's what's in front of us. It's never been done and we've got to do it."

The early returns on the Addazio hire have been good. On signing day, 20 new players committed to Temple -- including an interesting quarterback recruit in Clinton "Juice" Granger, a JUCO import with the size (6-3, 235) and athletic ability needed to run spread option attack that Addazio ran at Florida. Granger, a Philly kid, took a strange odyssey to North Broad Street. Over the past three years, Granger's path has taken him from perennial Philly Public League power George Washington High to North Carolina Tech Prep in Charlotte to Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College to Pierce Junior College in Los Angeles. A word of caution: The problem with guys, like Granger, that go through that many change-of-address cards in a short period of time is getting them through the NCAA Clearinghouse in a timely fashion.

If Granger is eligible, he will have three years of eligibility left and figures to battle for the No. 1 quarterback job right away. That's because for all of the Owls' success over the past couple years -- 17 wins and a berth in the EagleBank Bank Bowl in December 2009 -- Golden wasn't able to find a quality quarterback to lead a team that had just about everything else a quality team needs, including a star-studded defense and a strong ground attack.

If "Juice" can add some juice to Temple's passing attack, then the Owls will be one of the favorites in the race for the 2011 MAC title. The rest of the offensive two-deep looks strong as Temple's two-headed monster at tailback, Bernard Pierce (a future pro if he can avoid the injury bug, something he's been unable to do the past two years) and Matt Brown, is back, the o-line is well-stocked and there are two tight ends with NFL ability in Evan Rodriguez and Alex Jackson.

The defense has some holes to fill players as defensive tackle Muhammad Wilkerson (70 tackles, 9-1/2 sacks in 2010), Jaiquawn Jarrett (74 tackles) and middle linebacker Elijah "Peanut" Joseph (71 tackles in 2010) are all gone. But the cupboard's far from bare on that side of the ball and Addazio has brought a first-rate defensive coordinator with him Florida in Chuck Heater, the proud owner of three national championship rings (one at Notre Dame and two on Meyer's staff at Florida).

TOP OF THE CLASS

QB Clinton "Juice" Granger (Pierce Junior College, Los Angeles, Calif.) -- It'll be a homecoming for the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Granger, who played his high school ball at traditional Philadelphia Public League power George Washington before spending time at two junior colleges -- first at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College and then at Pierce Junior College in Los Angeles. Granger chose Temple over Florida International, Minnesota, and North Texas. If eligible, Granger is a pass-run threat -- perhaps signaling that Steve Addazio intends to run Florida's spread option offense that made Tim Tebow quite famous in Gainesville. If that's his intention, then Temple's roster only seemed to have one QB in that mold (Chris Coyer, last year's backup to drop-back passer Mike Gerardi), so the additions in this year's recruiting class of Granger and fellow dual-threat QB Jalen Fitzpatrick of Harrisburg (Pa.) High School are good ones.

SS Kenneth Harper (Buchholz High School, Gainesville, Fla.) -- The 6-foot, 215-pound Harper played several different positions on both sides of the ball for Buchholz, but is expected to play strong safety for Temple. As a senior for the Bobcats, he compiled 81 solo tackles, 52 assists, 10 pass breakups and two interceptions in earning first-team all-area honors for the second straight year. Addazio probably knows more about Harper than any of his incoming recruits. The reason? Harper was a teammate of Addazio's son, Louie, who was an early enrollee for Syracuse and will play tight end for the Orangemen.

WR Malcolm Eugene (Brooklyn ASA College, Brooklyn, N.Y.) -- First-year head coach Steve Addazio went heavy on wide receivers in his first recruiting class (Eugene and fellow JUCO import Tyron Harris are highly regarded, as is high schooler Antonio Belt), but the Eugene is the most ready to contribute right away. He has big-time size (6-4, 205) and caught 49 passes for 898 yards and eight touchdowns this past season at ASA. Plus, he enrolled at Temple in January, so he'll be able to participate in spring drills, a fact that will further speed his learning curve.

QB/ATH Jalen Fitzpatrick (Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, Pa.) -- The Temple coaches aremn't simply going to hand the keys to the offense to JUCO gem "Juice" Granger. There will be an open competition for the spot with two holdovers from last year (Mike Gerardi and Chris Coyer) battling with two new faces in Granger and Fitzpatrick. A first-team all-state performer at Harrisburg High, the lightning-quick Fitzpatrick posted 2,859 total yards and 30 touchdowns in a shade more than nine games. It's stunning how much Fitzpatrick, who has been selected to play in the Big 33 Game, improved from 2009 as a passer. If he loses the quarterback derby, Fitzpatrick is athletic enough to see the field early in his career as a wideout or defensive back.

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