The Temple football season officially came to an end Saturday afternoon. A few weeks ago, Temple fired Stan Drayton after 3 seasons and will now look for their next coach. Athletic Director Arthur Johnson said a decision can come quickly on the football program's next leader but wants to guarantee that the right person takes the job.
With Temple football in a prime position to be a real threat in the Group of 5 with help of location and conference affiliation, and a brand-new university President, this coaching hire may be the biggest one in program history.
We will look at as many candidates as we can until the official announcement comes out. As rumors of potential interviews continue, we will look into each one and what each candidate could bring to Temple.
Up first is Marshall Head Coach Charles Huff. According to multiple sources, there is a mutual interest between Temple and Huff. Let's take a look at what Huff has done at Marshall, his previous coaching experience, and what he can bring to the university.
Charles Huff has been known for two things. He is known for being an elite recruiter and a guru in developing running backs. In his early years of coaching he had stops at Maryland, Vanderbilt, and the Buffalo Bills.
In 2014 he was hired as the Special Team's Coordinator and Running Back's Coach at Penn State. While in Happy Valley, he helped Penn State win the 2016 Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Rose Bowl. While at Penn State, he was responsible for the recruitment and development of Saquon Barkley. Under Huff, Barkley was a Big Ten Player of the Year twice and an All-American. He also was instrumental in Barkley being the highest draft pick in Penn State history.
After Penn State, Huff moved on to Mississippi State to be the Assistant Head Coach and Run Game Coordinator. After one season with the Bulldogs, Huff accepted the role of Associate Head Coach at Alabama under Nick Saban. While with Alabama, Huff was instrumental in the development of Najee Harris and was the number 1 recruiter in college football in 2021. In Huff's two seasons with Alabama, he helped coach Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and was key in Alabama's 2020 National Championship run.
Huff took over the Marshall Thundering Herd in the 2021 season. This Saturday, Marshall will play in the Sun Belt Championship Game for the 1st time in program history. He has a 31-20 career record and this season he will coach in his 4th bowl game with Marshall. In 2022 on the road against #9 Notre Dame, Huff led Marshall to a victory over the Irish giving the program their 2nd win over a top ten opponent. In 2023, Marshall defeated Virginia Tech for the 1st time in over 80 years.
Known for being an elite recruiter, Huff has been aggressive in the transfer portal. Currently Marshall is ranked 2nd in the Sun Belt in recruiting and has 30+ transfers on their roster. He has built a roster full of former Power 4 players through the portal. In 2021 he was able to bring in Khalan Laborn. A former 5-star recruit and running back for Florida State.
When it comes to his coaching and development, he has been a guru when it comes to running back development. On top of his development of Saquon Barkley and Najee Harris, Huff has been responsible for the development and recruiting of Miles Sanders to Penn State and Rasheen Ali to Marshall. Since coming to Marshall, he has coached 3 NFL Draft picks. Nazeeh Johnson (Chiefs), Rasheen Ali (Ravens), and Micah Abraham (Colts.) On top of 3 NFL Draft picks, Eli Neal (Rams), Ethan Driskell (Chiefs), Dalton Tucker (Colts), and Steven Gilmore (Lions), have all signed as undrafted free agents and made their respective teams 52-man rosters in their rookie seasons. A total of 14 players while at Marshall have signed as undrafted free agents.
We know what Huff has done so far in his career, but what can he bring to Temple. The two big things Huff brings with him would be his excellent recruiting skills and his running back coaching. With Philadelphia being one of the best areas for high school football, he would be put into a great position for recruiting. On top of the Philadelphia high school football scene, his ability to work the transfer portal is tremendous. Overall, he would help improve the recruiting of the program.
Only concern with Huff is his lack of experience in rebuilding a program. There is no question that the Temple program right now needs help. Huff has never been in a spot where he was instrumental in rebuilding a program. When he took over the Marshall program, he took over after the team appeared in the Conference USA Championship. He did not need to rebuild Marshall; he needed to build upon the success. It just took him much longer than what the fan base and university expected.
The thing that will benefit Temple is Huff will not need to be bought out of his contract. Marshall never signed him to an extension and there is no buyout in his contract. Temple would not have to pay Marshall anything if they were to hire him. That is both a pro and a con. It is great for Temple if he were to hire him, but it is just as easy for any program to hire him.
If Temple goes down the path of Charles Huff, I think this would be a great hire for them. We have seen what he has done over his career and at the Group of 5 level. He would bring more success than any other coach in the last 20 years. If Huff actually would accept a lateral move from Marshall to Temple, is a bigger question. If Marshall were to win the Sun Belt next weekend, it would make him look even more appealing to a Power 4 school.
Should Temple hire Charles Huff? Yes!
-Adam Mack
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