Stan Drayton out as head coach of Temple football

Less than 24 hours after Temple beat FAU in overtime Saturday, Temple vice president Debbie and Stanley Lefkowitz and athletic director Arthur Johnson announced that head coach Stan Drayton will “no longer lead the Owl football program,” they wrote in a news release Sunday morning.

Defensive coordinator Everett Withers, who Drayton brought in as chief of staff in 2022, will be the interim head coach for the Owls’ final two games against UTSA and North Texas.

» READ MORE: Temple outlasts Florida Atlantic in OT behind a game-winning field goal from Maddux Trujillo

Drayton finished his tenure with a 9-25 record, including a 4-18 record against American Athletic Conference opponents and an 0-15 record on the road. The Owls are tied for eighth in the AAC standings with two conference wins this season.

“I would like to extend my appreciation to Coach Drayton for his commitment to Temple University, our student-athletes, and the football program over the past three years,” Johnson wrote. “Under his direction, our student-athletes have excelled in the classroom, been outstanding members of the community and Coach Drayton has represented the University with a tremendous amount of integrity and class.

“I wish him and his family well in their future endeavors.”

Drayton had not been a head coach before taking over the Temple job in 2022 from Rod Carey, now an offensive coordinator at Indiana. Drayton won national championships at Florida in 2006 and Ohio State in 2014 as the teams’ running backs coach. He also had a stint with the Green Bay Packers from 2001-03.

Johnson mentioned in the news release that he expects the Owls to compete in bowl games, which followed Drayton’s comments about Temple lacking in NIL support following the Owls’ 52-6 loss to Tulane on Nov. 9.

» READ MORE: Temple is on the outside looking in at bowl season yet again following 46-point loss to Tulane

“You sit there, and you look at that Tulane team and the size, the physicality, the strength, and you look at their roster and where they’re pulling guys from,” Drayton said in his weekly news conference on Nov. 11. “I had a chance to talk to their head football coach (Jon Sumrall) and talk to them about how they’re investing in their players and the result that they’re getting because of it.

“And it started with (former Tulane head coach Willie) Fritz. He really started that roster, and they inherited some good football players, no doubt. But Tulane has made the commitment to invest in bringing in good players into the program, and it’s definitely showing on the football field. There’s no question about it.”

In the release, Drayton gave a brief statement about his time at Temple and his farewell to the program.

“I appreciate the opportunity that I was given to lead a great group of young men at Temple University,” Drayton said. “I wish them nothing but the best in football and in life.”

The Owls will have just five days to game plan with Withers at the helm before kicking off against UTSA on Friday in San Antonio (7 p.m. ESPN2).

This is a developing story; check back for updates.