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Francis Brown returning to Temple as a football assistant coach

Brown returns to Temple as an assistant coach after serving the last two years at Baylor.

Former Temple defensive back Sean Chandler and assistant caoch Francis Brown in 2016.
Former Temple defensive back Sean Chandler and assistant caoch Francis Brown in 2016.Read moreCLEM MURRAY / Staff Photographer

Francis Brown, a former Temple football assistant who interviewed for the head coaching job that went to Manny Diaz, is returning to Temple as an assistant coach. Diaz was announced as Temple’s head coach on Thursday, replacing Geoff Collins, who left for the same job at Georgia Tech last Friday.

CBS sports radio announcer Zach Gelb and Owlscoop.com reporter Matt Vender were among the first to report Brown’s return and a source last night confirmed that is official.

What still isn’t known is the exact job title.

Brown is expected to coach the cornerbacks and it’s possible that he could also be named co-defensive coordinator, but one of the sources said that is not definite at this point.

Brown left Temple two years ago to become the assistant head coach/corners at Baylor under former Owls coach Matt Rhule.

This would be a significant hire for Temple for a number of reasons. Brown, 35, is considered a top recruiter. Multiple sources said he was impressive in his interview for the head coaching job, but didn’t quite have the experience.

A standout quarterback and defensive back in high school at Camden, Brown has many contacts among area high school coaches.

Temple’s current defensive backs coach Nathan Burton and defensive coordinator Andrew Thacker, are expected to join Collins at Georgia Tech, a source said.

The source also said a number of current Temple assistant coaches are hoping to stay with the Owls.

In another move, a source confirms that Temple strength and conditioning coach David Feeley will also remain on the staff. Feeley was the first hire of Collins on Dec. 28, 2016 and he had earned high praise from among the players.