Temple has hired Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler to fill its open position, the school announced on Sunday. Keeler, 65, is a two-time national championship-winning coach at the FCS level and the only coach in FCS history to win a national title at two different stops, doing so at Delaware in 2003 and Sam Houston in 2020. CBS Sports and 247Sports first reported the news of Keeler's hire earlier on Sunday.
Keeler recently helped the Bearkats transition to the FBS level in 2023. They went 3-9 in their debut season but improved to 9-3 this year, one of the top turnarounds during the 2024 college football season.
"I am beyond thrilled to be named Temple University's next head football coach," Keeler said in a statement. "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!"
CBS Sports profiled Sam Houston's rise earlier this season. The Bearkats had, in Keeler's words, "the least amount of NIL money in the country right now." However, the program managed a turnaround thanks to creative roster construction and Keeler, even at 65, adapting to what his program needed.
"Coach Keeler is a proven winner, but just as important as that, he is a proven program builder. That is exactly what he did at both the University of Delaware and Sam Houston State University," Temple president John Fry said. "He also led the Bearkats through a seamless transition from the FCS to the FBS, where his teams continually rose to the challenge. Coach Keeler is the perfect leader to help us navigate the rapidly changing landscape of college football and position Temple to compete for conference championships and play in bowl games. This is a great day for Temple University."
Temple will need a boost under Keeler. The Owls haven't won more than three games in a season since 2019. The program fired coach Stan Drayton earlier this year after compiling a 9-25 record through most of three seasons.
2024-25 FBS coaching carousel
| School | New coach | Previous coach | Conference | Expected Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | Mike Neu (fired) | MAC | ~600,000 | |
| Central Michigan | Jim McElwain (fired) | MAC | ~$1 million | |
| Charlotte | Biff Poggi (fired) | AAC | $1 million | |
| East Carolina | Blake Harrell (promoted) | Mike Houston (fired) | AAC | $2-3 million |
| FAU | Tom Herman (fired) | AAC | $1 million | |
| FIU | Mike MacIntyre (fired) | C-USA | $700,000 | |
| Fresno State | Jeff Tedford (resigned) | MWC | $1-2 million | |
| Kennesaw State | Brian Bohannon (fired) | C-USA | ~$500,000 | |
| North Carolina | Mack Brown (fired) | ACC | $5 million | |
| Purdue | Ryan Walters (fired) | Big Ten | $4 million | |
| Rice | Scott Abell (Davidson) | Mike Bloomgren (fired) | AAC | $1 million |
| Sam Houston | K.C. Keeler (to Temple) | C-USA | ||
| Southern Miss | Will Hall (fired) | Sun Belt | <$1 million | |
| Temple | K.C. Keeler (Sam Houston) | Stan Drayton (fired) | AAC | $1-2 million |
| Tulsa | Kevin Wilson (fired) | AAC | <$2 million | |
| UCF | Gus Malzahn (resigned) | Big 12 | $4 million | |
| UMass | Don Brown (fired) | Independent | <$1 million | |
| Utah State | Blake Anderson (fired) | MWC | $1-2 million | |
| West Virginia | Neal Brown (fired) | Big 12 | $3 million |
