First came Adam DiMichele. Then it was Colin Madison. Now, Marquise Liverpool has added his name to the Temple football team’s list of summer recruits. The 5-11, 190-pound wide receiver from Teaneck, N.J., committed to the Owls on Sunday. He’ll arrive at Temple this week and is eligible to join the team this season.Liverpool was a standout pass catcher at Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), helping his team capture state titles in 2002 and 2003, and signed with Boston College in February 2004. But he took a pass on college football and instead signed with the Seattle Mariners, who drafted him at the end of his senior year. He’s been playing minor league baseball for the past three years.
In early July, Liverpool was released by the Everett (Wash.) AquaSox, and decided to give another look at college football. One of the first people to contact him was Temple defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio, who recruited Liverpool four years ago. At the time, D’Onofrio was an assistant coach at Rutgers.
“In our first conversation (earlier this month), Coach D’Onofrio just told me about why he came to Temple and what their plans are for the program, and he wanted to get me down there to see the campus and see the city,” Liverpool said on Sunday night.
Liverpool visited Temple, liked what he saw, and sat on a scholarship offer for 10 days before giving the nod to the Owls. Earlier reports indicated that he received recruiting interest from Rutgers and Purdue. Liverpool didn’t want to discuss what offers he turned down.
“There were others, but they’re not really relevant at this point since I picked Temple,” he said. “I think it was the best fit for me and the best fit for them.”
Liverpool, 21, said he’ll head to North Broad Street this week and stay in Philly right up to the beginning of preseason camp, when he’ll officially join the Owls roster. It’s too late for him to enroll for the second summer session at Temple, so he won’t start taking classes until the fall.
“I wanted to get [the recruiting process] done quickly so I could get down there and get acquainted with my new teammates and begin to build some chemistry,” Liverpool said.
Though he hasn’t played organized football in nearly four years – “I haven’t done much at all, I’ve just been playing baseball,” he said – Liverpool’s numbers from Don Bosco Prep (totaling 80 receptions, 1,602 receiving yards, and 20 touchdown catches, plus five punt return touchdowns, as a junior and senior) indicate that he’ll likely be competing for a starting job sooner rather than later.
Liverpool was a two-time all-state pick and ranked among the top 30 wide receivers in the nation according to multiple scouting services. He turned down a dozen high-level scholarship offers when he signed with BC.
Now he’s an Owl.
“I’ve got a great rapport with Coach D’Onofrio and Coach Golden,” Liverpool said. “They’re both upfront. They tell you the truth and they take care of you. I have a lot of respect for both of them.”