Collins leaves UF to coach Temple
Defensive wizard has called his style ‘a little bit crazy.’
Temple turned to the Minister of Mayhem to keep its football renaissance alive.
On Tuesday, the Owls hired Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, plucking one of the SEC’s top defensive minds to become their fourth coach in eight seasons.
Collins will replace Matt Rhule, who left last week for Baylor after leading the No. 24 Owls to consecutive double-digit victory seasons and the American Athletic Conference championship this year.
Rhule was at Temple for four seasons and brought the program to new heights, including consecutive bowl bi ds f or t he f i r s t t i me i n school history.
Collins, 45, has been with the Gators for two seasons and before that was defensive coordinator at Mississippi State. The Gators defense has ranked in the top 10 in the country in each of Collins’ two seasons in Gainesville.
“We w i l l c o mp e t e f o r c h a mpi o n s h i p s , we wi l l provide a world-class student-athlete experience and education, and we will represent the community with pride,” Collins said.
A Georgia native and former player at Western Carolina, Collins has spent most of coaching c areer in the South. He spent one season (1996) at Fordham in New York and two seasons (199798) at Division III Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania early in his career.
Collins also had stints at G e o r g i a Te c h , Al a b a ma, Central Florida and Florida International. He became defensive coordinator for the first time at Mississippi State under coach Dan Mullen and was part of some of the school’s most successful teams.
“They’re going to get a guy that motivates players, a guy that really understands both sides of the ball, not just the defensive side,” Florida coach Jim McElwain said. “He’s done a great job of studying the offensive side and the things that it takes there. A relentless, competitive recruiter, and a guy that’s now been around at some places to see how he c an establish his own kind of way of doing things.”
Collins once described his defensive philosophy as “a little bit crazy,” which helped stick him with the “Mayhem” nickname.
“We’re really excited about the opportunity for him and his family at Temple,” McElwain said. “It’s a place that’s really done a great job, and he’ll carry that on.”
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