Temple has hired Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton as its next head coach.
Drayton, 50, spent the past five seasons at Texas under coaches Tom Herman and Steve Sarkisian. While there, he worked alongside Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson as a Texas administrator from 2011 until he got hired at Temple on Oct. 6.
"I had a chance to get to know Stan while we worked together at the University of Texas," Johnson said in the school's news release announcing the hire. "He is an outstanding football coach and an even better person."
Drayton replaces Rod Carey, who was fired in November after posting a 12-20 mark in three years with the Owls. Carey took over at Temple after Manny Diaz abruptly left the program a short time after becoming head coach to return to Miami with the same title.
Drayton coached running backs at six Power 5 schools, making two stops at Florida and working under Urban Meyer at both Florida at Ohio State. He spent five total seasons as an NFL assistant with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, and made two stops in and around the Philadelphia area as running backs coach at Penn (1995) and Villanova (1996 to 1999).
"He knows what success looks like at the highest levels of football," Johnson said. "He also knows what it takes to be successful in this city having spent six years of his career here."
Drayton's hiring fills the last FBS head-coaching vacancy in a historically active cycle. Rutgers secondary coach Fran Brown, who had two stints as a Temple assistant, also was a strong candidate for the job, sources told ESPN.
"This truly is a dream come true for me," Drayton said in the release. "Philadelphia has always held a special place in my heart as my wife, Monique, and I got married while we lived here."
Drayton joins Ron Dickerson as the only Black head coaches in Temple football history.
Temple is counting on Drayton to return it to bowl games. The Owls played in five straight bowl games from 2015 to 2019.
The program will introduce Drayton in a news conference on Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.