Temple is expected to hire Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler to fill its open position, sources tell CBS Sports and 247Sports. 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.
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.
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.
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 |
