Temple DE Quincy Roche transferring; Ohio State CB Shaun Wade returning to school

As the Jan. 20 deadline to declare draft intentions draws ever closer, one announcement went somewhat under the radar but will have big implications on the 2020 draft: Temple edge Quincy Roche is returning to school.

Just not at Temple.

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— Q. (@_Underated2) December 31, 2019

Roche announced Dec. 31 that he is entering the transfer portal. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound redshirt junior recently saw his draft stock rise after a big finish to the season. Roche closed the year with 13 sacks – including 10 in the team’s final four regular-season games – and 19 tackles for loss to go along with 49 tackles. He was also the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

There’s no word yet on where Roche might transfer, although media reports say he recently starting following Miami head coach Manny Diaz on Twitter. Diaz was named as Temple’s head coach in December 2018, then left the program less than three weeks later to become Miami’s head coach.

This isn’t new territory for Miami, either. Former Virginia Tech edge Travon Hill transferred to Miami after he was dismissed from the team. Hill went on to have 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss this season.

Roche wasn’t the only surprise name to bypass the 2020 NFL draft. Some of the names to cross off your Fanspeak On the Clock customized big board include:

• Ohio State CB Shaun Wade: Wade was already considered a fringe first-rounder. Now he has the chance to be the top cornerback in the 2021 class (much like teammate Jeffrey Okudah is for the 2020 draft).
• Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman: Newman cooled off a bit after a hot start but still led his team to a bowl game.

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• Georgia S George LeCounte: Had some fans in the scouting community.
• Iowa OT Alaric Jackson: The Hawkeyes’ LT didn’t have as strong of a season as the previous year after battling injuries.
• Pittsburgh edge Patrick Jones: Has the size (6-5, 260) and production (8.5 sacks) that teams are looking for, should be one of the top DEs in the 2021 class.