Who could become Temple’s next football coach? Here are four options the Owls should consider.

The Stan Drayton era came to an unceremonious end at Temple after the school decided to part ways with their football coach with two games left in his third season on North Broad. Drayton, who had been Texas’ running backs coach and associate head coach, inherited a 3-9 team from Rod Carey and also posted three wins in each of his nearly three seasons.

For the fifth straight year, there will be no bowl game for the 3-7 Owls, who need a big-splash hire to turn the program around. They haven’t had a winning record since 2019.

Here are four potential coaching options the Owls could consider for the football program’s 18th head coach.

Nixon, who is helping lead Syracuse’s turnaround this season under Camden native Fran Brown, is among the top candidates for the job. A source tells The Inquirer that there is mutual interest between Nixon and Temple, who has coached both collegiately and at the NFL level throughout his 28-year career.

Among those stops includes one season with the Owls in 2006 as the running backs and wide receivers coach under Al Golden, 2007-10 with the Eagles as an offensive and special teams assistant coach, along stops as the Miami Dolphins’ running backs coach (2011-15), the Carolina Panthers in various roles, including being the team’s running backs coach and assistant offensive head coach (2020-22), and the New York Giants’ running backs coach in 2023.

» READ MORE: Stan Drayton out as Temple football coach

At Syracuse, Nixon has helped elevate Mount Laurel native Kyle McCord’s game to a new level this season. The Orange rank third in passing yards per game in college football (350.7 yards), second in total first downs per game (25.9), and averaged the second most plays per game (79.2). Syracuse’s offense also ranked in the top 25 in total yards per game (445.6).

Before coming back to the college level this season, Nixon was last with Baylor from 2017-19 under former Temple coach Matt Rhule as the co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. He’s had various degrees of success at the college and NFL level, though he’s never been a head coach.

Indiana’s turnaround this season en route to its best start in program history has placed plenty of attention on its offense, and rightfully so. But the Hoosiers’ defense has been stifling in their 10-0 start led by Haines, who followed head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison to Indiana.

This season with the Hoosiers, Haines has the defense ranked first in rushing yards allowed per game (72.2), third in total yards allowed (255.8), tied for fourth in first downs allowed (15.3), and seventh in points allowed (13.8). At James Madison last season, he also had the top rushing defense.

If the Owls wanted to go the defensive coach route, Haines would not only be a top candidate for this job, but many others that are due to come open across college football. He’d certainly need to bring an excellent offensive mind alongside him, but Haines is a fast-rising coach who could interest the Owls.

Barnes could be the type of splashy hire who could really pay dividends in recruiting the New Jersey and Philadelphia areas, which he currently does for Penn State. In just his fourth season with the Nittany Lions, and second as the full-time defensive line coach, his mark on the program has been apparent in the rise of Penn State edge rushers over the last couple of seasons. A North Philly native and Northeast High grad, Barnes played at Penn State from 2011-14, had stops with the Jets and Chiefs in the NFL, and a brief stop in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football League before joining the Nittany Lions staff in 2020.

The allure with Barnes is his ability to recruit and develop players, which has been especially apparent along the defensive line. Under his tutelage, he’s coached two first-round defensive linemen (Odafe Oweh and Chop Robinson), and several other draft picks, including Shaka Toney, Adisa Isaac, and Arnold Ebiketie, to name a few. And this season, he’s helped unlock North Philly native and La Salle College grad Abdul Carter in his first season at defensive end. Carter ranks second in college football in tackles for loss (18).

Barnes, 31, is on the younger side, but already is a familiar figure in the South Jersey and Philly recruiting scene. Though he’d be an unconventional hire, his potential in keeping the talent in the area at home could pay huge dividends for a program looking for an identity.

Thomas currently works under Rhule at Nebraska, and did so as well at Temple from 2015-16, two of the Owls’ most successful seasons in program history. Thomas has 26 years of collegiate and NFL coaching experience. His longest coaching stint came with the Atlanta Falcons from 2008-14, working the first four seasons as an offensive assistant and the latter three as a quarterbacks coach for former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, a Penn Charter grad.

He was Temple’s offensive coordinator in 2016, and quarterbacks coach both seasons at North Broad. He’s also been an offensive coordinator at Arizona State, UNLV, and Baylor, and spent 2023 as a Steelers offensive assistant. It’s been an up-and-down season offensively with the Cornhuskers, as they navigate the freshman season of starting quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Thomas’ experience and connections across the NFL and college landscapes make him a worthy candidate, though his hiring may not move the needle much.

Other names to watch: Damiere Shaw, Rutgers running backs coach; Elijah Robinson, Syracuse defensive coordinator; Al Washington, Notre Dame defensive line coach.