Temple hire: Is it Matt Rhule?
Temple college sports - basketball, football and more - covered by the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey.
Temple hire: Is it Matt Rhule?
Keith Pompey, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Temple football coaching search is coming to an end.
One of the finalists, Miami defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio, has reportedly pulled out Friday. The other finalist was former Temple co-offensive coordinator Matt Rhule.
It is unclear if Rhule has been formally offered the job at this time. What is clear is he is the guy Temple wants for the position that was vacated on Dec. 4 when Steve Addazio left for Boston College.
And Temple will hold a press conference Monday to announce his hiring if the negiotations go as planned.
Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw said Wednesday that a head coaching announcement will be made early next week. If Rhule takes the job, as expected, it makes sense that it doesn’t happen today or tomorrow because he is the assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants. New York plays the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.
Rhule was the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach at Temple before joining the Giants in March. He had various coaching positions during his six seasons as an Owls assistant, five of which he served under Al Golden.
Rhule interviewed for Temple's top job in 2010 when Addazio won the coaching position vacated by Golden, who left for Miami.
The former Penn State linebacker said that coaching the Owls remains his dream job, and his wife, Julie, still works at the university.
Several Temple football players, including the top 2013 recruit, urged the hiring of Rhule to replace Addazio.
Rhule is "definitely somebody we would stay with," said Shawn Brown, the father of Williamstown High School linebacker Buddy Brown, the headliner of Temple's 2013 recruiting class. "We kind of remember [Rhule] because we went to a camp when he was there. He was a decent guy. We definitely know who he is, so there's definitely a little familiarity with him."
Sources have confirmed a CBSSports.com report Friday that D’Onofrio took his name out of consideration. He is the only candidate who has publicly taken his out of consideration.
Like Rhule, D’Onofrio coached at Temple from 2006 to ’10 under Golden. D'Onofrio was the Owls' defensive coordinator. He became Miami's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator when Golden took the Hurricanes coaching job. D'Onofrio reportedly turned down a request to interview for the Temple job after Golden left.
Also interviewing for the job were Eagles defensive coordinator and Temple alumnus Todd Bowles, Temple defensive coordinator Chuck Heater, Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, former Florida International coach Mario Cristobal, and Ohio State running backs coach Stan Drayton, according to sources.
Now is the time for the Temple administration to make an all out commitment to football and spend the money required on new facilities.
The new coach will need to sell the program to a new conference.— lazybone- He quit an NFL job just to be a head coach of something. Sad when people make really dumb career choices. As lazybone said Temple needs to make an all out spending commitment on facilities. First up, expand the Linc to accommodate the overflow of fans wanting to get in the Temple football games.— Taser
- If either of you knew anything,you would know that Temple has seriously ugraded its facilities for football, with a new training and meeting building and field. I find an NFL coach leaving to coach college a good choice. He would be in charge, have final say on all recruits and could let a player go without worrying about how much money the team would have to pay. You think Nick Saban would ever go back to the pros?— mike l
- Realistically, Temple belonged in Conference USA and ,for better or worst, that is where they have landed. As presently constituted the remaining public universities are a notch above the MAC/A10.Not exactly what Temple expected but better than where they were. Villanova will compete in a CYO Conference on a par with the A10. . Machiavelli had nothing on these characters.— Harvey Matloff
- VOMITMAN,.your name suits you. You're destined for a career at McDonalds.— Harvey Matloff
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh graduate. Follow him on Twitter @pompeysgridlock. Reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
