Temple has honed in on Sam Houston State coach K.C. Keeler, who won the FCS national championship with the Bearkats in 2022 and also with Delaware in 2003, as its next head football coach, OwlScoop.com has confirmed. An official announcement is expected to follow soon.
Football Scoop was first to report that Keeler was the focal point of Temple's search.
Keeler, 65, is a Pennsylvania native and played in the 1977 Big 33 game. Keeler played linebacker at Delaware from 1978-80 before entering the coaching ranks shortly thereafter. Assistant coach stops at Amherst and Rowan led to Keeler's first head coaching gig at Rowan, where Keeler won 88 games from 1993 through 2001. Keele parlayed that success into the head coaching job at his alma mater, where he recruited players like Joe Flacco en route to the 2003 national championship. Keeler led the Blue Hens back to the championship game in 2010 and finished his Delaware career with an 86-52 record.
Delaware and Keeler parted ways after the 2012 season. Following a gap year, Keeler took over the Sam Houston State job in 2014. Keeler immediately led the program to four straight double-digit win seasons. The program's rise led to a perfect 10-0 record and a national championship during the 2020-21 season. A round of realignment led Sam Houston State to join the FBS ranks in 2023. Keeler's first year at the FBS level ended with a 3-9 record before the Bearkats turned things around with a 9-3 record this season.
For his career, Keeler holds a 271-112-1 record, including a 97-39 record at Sam Houston State. Keeler is the only coach to lead two different programs to FCS National Championships. During his time as a head coach, Keeler has produced nine NFL draft picks, including Flacco, who won Super Bowl XLVII MVP honors.
At Temple, Keeler will take over a program that has gone 3-9 in four straight years and recently fired Stan Drayton after just three seasons.
Multiple sources also confirmed to OwlScoop.com that Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson interviewed Syracuse defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson and Marshall coach Charles Huff for the vacant position before selecting Keeler.
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