Temple football welcomes Larry Knight back to the program as defensive line coach

Homecoming will have a dual meaning for Larry Knight.

On Thursday, Temple football coach Stan Drayton announced that Knight, who served as an assistant in the program under former head coach Geoff Collins in 2017-18, will return to the staff as the Owls’ defensive line coach.

The hire comes on the heels of Temple quietly releasing former defensive line coach Antoine Smith, who currently is embroiled in allegations of sexual harassment. Smith was accused of having hidden cameras in his home that secretly recorded women he hired to watch his dog while he was away. The complaints feature six women in filings made Tuesday alleging Smith used a pet-sitting app to prey on women and that he watched “their most private moments from high-tech cameras.”

» READ MORE: Six women file lawsuits against Rover app, Temple University, and a football coach they say sexually harassed them

Knight held many responsibilities in his first stint with the Owls program, the last being outside linebackers coach and defensive recruiting coordinator. He departed to join Collins at Georgia Tech in 2019. Knight helped coach a defense that ranked among the top three in the American Athletic Conference in 2018 and coached a group that saw Georgia Tech edge rusher Keion White become a second-round draft choice for the New England Patriots in the 2023 NFL Draft.

“Coach Knight is an outstanding young coach who knows what it takes to win here at Temple,” Drayton said in a statement. “He knows how to get the best of his players. … He understands the culture that it takes to win here in North Philadelphia and what type of student-athletes can be developed on 10th and Diamond. I’m excited to add him to this staff.”

» READ MORE: Temple ticketed for three prime-time, national TV football games this fall