Temple football has found its next head coach. The Owls are set to hire Sam Houston coach K.C. Keeler, per On3. Sam Houston just completed a 9-3 regular season in Conference USA, and finished tied for second in the league.

The Owls are searching for answers after a disappointing 2024 season. Temple football finished the year with a 3-9 record in the AAC, with a 2-6 conference mark. The school fired Stan Drayton in November due to the team's struggles.

“With the changing landscape of college football and the playoff format, the opportunity for Temple football has never been greater,” Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson said after firing Drayton, per WHYY Radio. “Our expectation is to compete for American Athletic Conference titles, appear in bowl games consistently, and build a program that our fans, alumni, and students can be proud of in the classroom and on the field. I am confident that our fans will rally around our student-athletes and support them as they always have.”

Keeler will now get the chance to take over a Temple program that has struggled in the last few years. The former Sam Houston coach helped lead that school through tremendous transformation. After joining the Bearkats in 2014, Keeler guided Sam Houston in three different conferences.

Keeler won 12 games in the last two seasons, his two years in Conference USA. He tripled his win total from 2023 during the 2024 season.

Temple football has struggled in recent years

Related NewsArticle continues below
Former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick attends Bay Golf Club against Atlanta Drive GC in the TGL semifinal match at SoFi Center on March 18, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Michael Vick strengthens Norfolk State defense in transfer portal
The Michigan Wolverines offensive line, including Zak Zinter (65), Olusegun Oluwatimi (55), Giovanni El-Hadi (58) and Ryan Hayes (76), and tight ends Matthew Hibner (88) and Joel Honigford, get set against the Illinois Fighting Illini
5-star Michigan football target gets real on upcoming visit
Michigan Wolverines Michigan Wolverines offensive lines coach Sherrone Moore gestures from the sideline during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium.
Michigan football makes 4-star OT’s final 4
Temple quarterback Forrest Brock (11) passes the ball in the first half of an NCAA football game between Oklahoma (OU) and Temple at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
© NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Temple is known for its men's basketball program, and not so much its football program. The school has a losing record in football, and was once used as a punching bag in the old Big East conference.

In recent years, Temple had some success. Matt Rhule, who is now the Nebraska coach, came through Philadelphia and helped guide the program to some wins. Temple football won an AAC conference title in 2016, when Rhule led the team to a 10 win season. He left the school after that campaign to coach at Baylor.

Temple hasn't had a winning season since the 2019 campaign, when Rod Carey led the school. It will be a tough rebuilding job for Keeler, but the coach does know how to win games. Keeler picked up close to 100 victories while leading Sam Houston.

Temple football fans are certainly hoping for brighter days, with a new head coach at the school.