Brothers From Another Mother

The offense breaks the huddle.

At the line of scrimmage is a 6'4, 250-pound tight end down in a three-point stance. He's trying to disguise his route. He lines up trying to project to the defense that he's blocking, but in the back of his mind once the ball snaps he's taking off at full speed straight ahead known on the gridiron as a nine route. On the other side of the line of scrimmage is a ball hawking 6'3, 235-pound linebacker. His job is to read the tight end and if the tight end takes off, he's taking off with him.

One-on-one. No safety help over the top.

The ball is snapped, and the tight end makes a beeline toward the end zone. The linebacker makes his read and sprints with his man running lockstep with the tight end. The ball is thrown deep down the field to the tight end.
Who makes the play?

"Me. I'm not saying nothing else," redshirt freshman tight end, Kendell Gordon says without hesitation.

"Are you dumb? That's strapped," redshirt freshman linebacker Brandon Enarusai responds back.

These two best friends laugh off this imaginary scenario, understanding that they're both working together and rooting for each other not just as teammates, but because their stories are almost identical dating back to childhood.

Both Gordon and Enarusai grew up in Burlington, New Jersey, about 30 minutes northeast of Temple. Ironically, they were both born on October 5, 2005. Their bond can be extended to their mothers who were also friends and worked together at the local YMCA. Gordon and Enarusai also ran in the same social circles, but prior to high school the two had only connected through these neighborhood and familial ties.

"We were both in that process of finding a school to go to and we both knew George School was one of our top choices," Gordon said. It was at George School, a private school in Newtown, Pennsylvania, where they met their coach and mentor, Jordan Page, who helped mold them into the athletes they are today.

"They were always around each other. Same friend group. Same interests with football and basketball. They had this brother mentality and bond," said Page. "It was always clear that they were really close."

Now the offensive line coach at The Peddie School, Page continues his mentorship of the young men and recalls how dedicated they were as students and as young men in general. As great as they were as young adults, they were equally impressive on the field.

"They're both freakishly strong. They're explosive. They're fast. Physically when you look at them, they look the part," Page said.

The only thing that seems to separate the two is the side of the ball they play on. Today, Gordon and Enarusai are dedicated to their respective positions, but that was not the case in high school according to Page. "Brandon could play multiple positions week to week from defensive end and linebacker where he would have multiple sacks in a game. And then there's games where he's the offensive lineman leading the way and will switch to running back and still have 150 or more yards in a half," Page recalls.

Gordon, now a tight end for the Owls, was a talented quarterback in his junior year of high school throwing 12 touchdown passes and rushing for another five. As a senior, Gordon switched to tight end where he pulled in 15 touchdowns on 25 receptions.

"Kendell was someone that you couldn't guard," said Page. "He was too strong, and too open. He was quick and could break away from you."

Having found so much success at the high school level, the two started fielding offers to play football at the next level. For Gordon, the choice was clear.

"I committed first," said Gordon. "[Brandon] had some other schools that he was deciding on, but he knew that Temple was my place."

Enarusai says he was considering offers from FCS schools, but ultimately felt like Temple was the best fit for him even if--like Gordon--he was joining as a walk-on.

"I feel like Coach Drayton really sold my family the most and that really influenced my decision," said Enarusai. "And then when Kendell committed, it made it easier for me to choose."

Gordon and Enarusai are continuing to grow together as they make strides with the development team embracing their personal successes but understanding that there's more to build on. The two still communicate regularly with Page who provides them encouragement that they're on the right path while giving them tips on improving their technique with the ultimate goal of increasing their role with the Owls.

"We embraced our role from the beginning of the year. The amount of times we got player of the week, I'm just proud of us for that and seeing how much we've grown since high school," said Gordon.

This season, Gordon earned offensive scout team player of the week, and special teams scout team player of the week. Enarusai earned defensive scout team player of the week this season and earned his first game action against East Carolina.

Focused mainly on their future, the two still find time to reminisce about their journey together, understanding that there is still more to accomplish.

"It's just crazy sometimes when me and him are going up against each other in practice. I'm lining up, getting in my stance and I'm just thinking about practice back in 2021 when Kendell was giving me a handoff… and now I'm lining up against him and he's lining up against me."

Temple University Athletics

Brothers From Another Mother

Players Mentioned

Brandon Enarusai

Kendell Gordon

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