At Temple, the work of football continues, even without a head coach

No head coach, no problem.

For the Temple football team, it's business as usual after Steve Addazio resigned Tuesday to accept the head coaching job at Boston College.

Players are still participating in morning workouts. And the assistant coaches, who are under contract until January, are on the road recruiting.

Temple offered scholarships to Kingsway High School junior running back Ray Lawry Jr. and West Deptford junior running back/fullback Gerald Owens on Thursday.

"They were recruiting my son when the head coach [Addazio] was there," Ray Lawry Sr. said. "So I guess this is reassurance that they are still interested in him. That's the way I looked at it."

The Lawrys attended Temple games this season. They also have a good relationship with Fran Brown, a Temple graduate assistant charged with recruiting in South Jersey.

Brown's continued recruitment of underclassmen could mean that New York Giants assistant coach Matt Rhule is in line for the Temple job.

Rhule, a former Owls assistant, has called Temple his dream job.

San Jose State coach Mike MacIntyre, former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley, former Florida International coach Mario Cristobal, and Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bowles are others who have been mentioned as possible candidates.

Bowles, an honorable mention all-American at Temple in the early 1980s, said Wednesday that he has not thought about the Owls' job.

"I love my school to death," he said. "I wear Temple sweatshirts every day. I got my job right here. I'm very happy with it."

MacIntyre was the Owls' defensive coordinator in 1997 and 1998. He told the San Jose Mercury-News that he's been contacted about "openings," but that he's not "hunting for a job."

Bradley could not be reached for comment.

Rhule, however, appears to the coach of choice for Temple players and several staff members. Williamstown linebacker Buddy Brown, the headliner of the Owls' 2013 recruiting class, said he'll honor his commitment to Temple if Rhule gets the job.

Buddy Brown and his father believe Rhule, if he were to get the job, would keep Fran Brown on staff. The family said Fran Brown was the main reason Buddy Brown committed to Temple.

"If they are smart, Fran would be their No. 1 choice to hire as an assistant coach," Shawn Brown said. "He knows every kid in South Jersey. They would get kids that they think they wouldn't get in South Jersey.

"Every kid loves Fran, every kid. That's the reason why Buddy is committed to Temple."

All-Big East honorees: Tyler Matakevich, a freshman linebacker, was named Big East rookie of the year Thursday. Matt Brown, a senior return specialist, was named the league's special- teams player of the year. Owls seniors Montel Harris (running back) and Brandon McManus (as a punter) joined Brown as first-team all-conference selections. Seniors Martin Wallace (right tackle), John Youtboty (defensive end), and McManus (as a placekicker) joined Matakevich on the second team. . . . Harris has been invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game, a senior all-star game to be held Jan. 13 at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Fla.