Temple is expected to hire Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler to lead the Owls, bringing the Pennsylvania native back to the East Coast where his head coaching career started, a person briefed on the situation told The Athletic.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because contract details were still being worked out and the school was planning an official announcement as soon as Monday.
Keeler has been at Sam Houston for 11 seasons, helping the Bearkats become a perennial playoff contender at the Football Championship Subdivision level, winning a national title in 2021 and guiding the program through a Football Bowl Subdivision transition the past two seasons. Keeler is 97-39 at Sam Houston and 12-12 over the past two seasons. The Bearkats finished this regular season 9-3, 6-2 in Conference USA.
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The 65-year-old began his head coaching career at Division III Rowan in New Jersey. From 1993 to 2001, the school made the D-III playoffs seven times and reached five championship games, losing all of them.
Keeler moved on to FCS Delaware in 2002 and in 11 seasons there made the playoffs four times. The Blue Hens went 1-2 in national championship games, winning it all in 2003.
Temple fired coach Stan Drayton with two games left in the regular season. He went 9-25 in three seasons at the American Athletic Conference school located in Philadelphia.
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