Temple University Names K.C. Keeler Next Head Football Coach

Former Rowan University and Delaware head football coach K.C. Keeler is coming back to the Delaware Valley.

Keeler, who went 88–21–1 during his tenure with the Profs, which included four New Jersey Athletic Conference championships and five National Championship game appearances, has been named the new head football coach at Temple.

"I am beyond thrilled to be named Temple University's next head football coach," Keeler said in a press release. "I would like to thank Arthur Johnson and President John Fry for this incredible opportunity. Their shared vision and enthusiasm for returning this program to greatness has been contagious. I'm eager to get to work to bring that vision to fruition for the Cherry and the White. It's a perfect fit and it feels great to be coming back home!"

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After an 11-year run at the University of Delaware where he went 86-52, winning the 2003 National Championship, Keeler was named the 15th head coach in Sam Houston State program history in 2014, winning the 2021 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game. Overall he is 63-19 at the Texas school.

He is the only head football coach to take three different programs to a National Championship game and ranks No. 2 among all active coaches at FCS level.

Temple has had a run of successful head football coaches, with Al Golden, who landed at Miami, Steve Addazio, who went to Boston College, and Matt Rhule, who went to Baylor, the NFL, and is now at Nebraska.

However, since Rhule's departure, the program has lost direction and has gone a combined 36-57 since he left following the 2016 season.

Geoff Collins followed Rhule, going 15-10 in two seasons, before leaving for Georgia Tech. He is not the defensive coordinator at North Carolina. He is the last Owls head coach to win a Bowl Game, back in 2017. The Owls are just 3-6 in the school history in Bowl Games.

The challenge for Temple has been finding local talent to stay home and play in Philadelphia. While the Owls play in a first-class facility, at Lincoln Financial Field, they do not have their own home.

Can Keeler, who has ties to South Jersey from his time at Rowan and Delaware find more talent in the West Jersey Football League to play at Temple? Can he recruit the Philadelphia area and the Catholic League, and convince them to stay home and play for the Cherry and White?

Former Temple tight end Colin Thompson, who played during the Rhule era, and later in the NFL is excited about the hire.

"I'm really excited for the future of Temple football," Thomson told me via text message. K.C. is a proven winner with tons of head coaching experience. WIth the ever-changing landscape of college football, Temple football has a tremendous opportunity ahead."

This will be the challenge, but if anyone knows what he is up against, its Keeler.

Keeler replaces Stan Drayton, who was fired back on Nov 17.