Temple Football’s Rod Carey Hire Is Good News For Michigan Wolverines

ANN ARBOR, MI – OCTOBER 13: Chase Winovich #15 of the Michigan Wolverines leaves the field celebrating a 38-13 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers on October 13, 2018 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Temple football has had a whirlwind off-season, with Geoff Collins’ departure to Georgia Tech, and the subsequent hire and departure of Manny Diaz to Miami.

After all of that, the Owls have their next head coach.

Northern Illinois’ Rod Carey has reportedly gotten the nod, after six full years as head coach, and five bowl appearances.

The Huskies went 8-6 this season, winning the MAC for the second time under Carey, and appeared in the Boca Raton Bowl.

One of the names on Temple’s first list, when it hired Manny Diaz from Miami, was Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown.

The 63-year old has ample experience in the Northeast, and has become one of college football’s top defensive coaches, leading what has been an often elite Michigan unit.

Don Brown was ultimately passed up the second time around by Temple football, in favor of Rod Carey.

Football Scoop reported the Carey hire this morning:

Rod Carey is expected to be the next head coach at Temple, sources told FootballScoop on Thursday. We are told the deal has not yet been signed; but Carey is the pick and Temple is expecting to get the deal done today.

Carey is currently the head coach at Northern Illinois, where he is 52-30 in six full seasons. He guided the Huskies to MAC championships in 2014 and 2018.

That is great news for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines. Since taking over the defense in 2016, UM has finished second, 13th, and 16th in scoring defense over the last three seasons.