Temple quarterback E.J. Warner walks us through his process

Temple students have seen E.J. Warner run around campus at all times of the day and likely assumed he was working out.

But Warner doesn’t run to class as part of a workout. Warner has to hustle to make it to class on time after a long day of work. The freshman’s job is being the Owls’ starting quarterback and studying to be the best one he can be.

“So there’s times where I’ve been in every single film session,” Warner said, “spend as much time as I can [at Edberg-Olson Hall] or get as much sleep as I can … to kind of give me that edge.

“There are times where I have to get to class to make sure I am early. Sometimes that means I am jogging. Sometimes I am walking fast.”

Warner spends most of his time at Edberg Olson-Hall, the home of the football program. Inside the building, one of the secrets to Warner’s success is the film room. The Inquirer spent a few hours with Warner to watch film and learn about his experience at Temple.

When he rolls out of bed each morning, he takes off for an early-morning workout at 10th and Diamond. When the Inquirer arrived, the 6-foot quarterback from Arizona was sporting a gray Temple sweatshirt as he walked into the room. Moments later, Warner sat in front of a computer and sifted through multiple games.

“A 24-hour rule,” Warner said about breaking down the previous game. “Watch our game and think about it. Then, put it away and get on to the next week.

“Then, I am going to come [to the film room] and watch the opponent. I normally run through it pretty quick once to kind of get a feel of the game — what [the opposing defenses] made in their adjustments, not look too deep into certain things. And then just every day, trying to come back and look at little, tiny details that I can take in.”

On this day, Warner analyzed Temple’s 49-46 loss to East Carolina in the season finale. Warner slid his hand over the mouse to click his desired game, facing the computer and leaning slightly back in his chair.

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With his eyes directed to each individual snap, Warner began to review each throw. Although Warner set a school record with 527 yards on 45-for-63 passing with five touchdowns against ECU, he remembers the little mistakes that made a difference.

“No matter how many yards or touchdowns or points we score,” Warner said, “I am still going to be up at night thinking about those plays that I missed [and] those plays I should’ve had.”

He compares football to chess because of the moving pieces on defense and the way each player responds to schemes.

When breaking down certain offensive plays, Warner used the mouse to go back and identify presnap formation. On a normal day, he spends five to 10 minutes watching each snap. In a split-second, Warner could recognize what plays were called and where the ball was intended to go.

No matter how great his play, Warner made sure to point out his teammates and give them credit.

“We had a lot of guys step up this year, especially down the [stretch] when we had some injuries,” Warner said about his receivers. “It’s fun knowing I can trust all those guys out there and get them the ball and make a play for them.”

On a few occasions, Warner paused the computer screen to share his excitement. In those instances, he would look up from the screen and explain that play or football principle in greater detail.

One hour later, Warner finished watching the ECU film, conversed with coaches in a separate room, and exited the complex.

It was 47 degrees in Philly, but that did not stop Warner from wearing shorts.

Walking across Temple’s campus, he received little attention from onlookers. Which is totally fine for Warner, who is happy to stay out of the spotlight.

“I am not a big attention guy,” he said. “No social media. I try to stay away from that as much as I can.”

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The trip ended with a stop at Temple’s student center and Warner’s typical burger lunch: three double-bacon cheeseburgers from BurgerFi.

For his next meal, Warner usually heads over to a dining hall to snack on pizza and ice cream and sometimes drinks chocolate milk. Warner then eats a “cup of veggies” to go with it all.

To unwind at night, Warner takes a slight break from football to pursue one of his hobbies.

“I really don’t do too much,” Warner said. “The main thing … [I’m] a big movie guy. I don’t like TV shows, it kind of takes too long.”

Of course, Warner’s rest period will be short-lived. With spring football already here, he will be on a mission to get better after Year 1 ... which he finished with a school-record 268 completions, for 3,028 yards and 18 touchdowns.

“Taking that time to grow in that weight room can add so many elements to your game,” Warner said. “Make me stronger and faster, so I can add those extra factors.”

Warner made significant physical improvements and plans to gain as much weight as possible without altering his speed.

Temple coach Stan Drayton is aware of Warner’s progression, as he stood out during weightlifting sessions this offseason.

“First of all, E.J. was labeled by our strength coach as one of our weight-room warriors,” Drayton said after Temple’s first spring practice on Feb. 28. “That’s the kind of stuff you want to hear about your quarterback.”

Warner could lead Temple to a bowl game for the first time since 2019. He understands the importance of these upcoming spring practices and how they could shape the team’s future.

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Temple made mistakes throughout its first practice, but Warner is encouraged about what we saw and where they need to improve.

“We’re just trying to play fast today and mistakes happen,” he said. “Over the course of spring ball, just trying to lower those, and lower those to the point where when we get to the spring game and going into fall camp, we already have the playbook down, and we’re ready to go and have all the details down.”