Official: Baylor hires Temple's Matt Rhule as head coach

Baylor has found its new coach.

The school announced Tuesday that it has hired Temple’s Matt Rhule. Rhule has led the Owls to back-to-back 10-win seasons, including this year’s American Athletic Conference title. He will be introduced at Baylor on Wednesday.

In four years at Temple, his first head-coaching job, Rhule, 41, has a 28-23 record and won the AAC East title in the last two seasons. Rhule was an assistant at Temple from 2006-2011 and also had stints as an assistant with the New York Giants and at Western Carolina, UCLA and Buffalo. He played collegiately at Penn State.

“We could not be more excited to welcome Matt, Julie and their children to the Baylor Family,” said Baylor athletic director Mack Rhoades. “When we set out on our search for a new leader of our football program, we wanted a coach who shared our values, who had demonstrated success, who showed a true commitment to the overall student-athlete and who we believed could lead Baylor to a national championship. We found all of that and more in Matt and I know that he will be a perfect fit with the Baylor Family.”

Added Rhule: “I am truly honored and humbled to join the Baylor Family and I can’t thank President David Garland and Mack Rhoades enough for this incredible opportunity. Baylor is a tremendous institution with a history of football success and I know the passion that so many have for the Bears will help bring the community together to reach even greater heights. I am excited to get started.”

Amid his impressive rebuilding effort at Temple, Rhule has been connected to a few other Power Five jobs. One of those jobs was Missouri last year, where Rhoades, Mizzou’s former AD, led the search and ultimately promoted defensive coordinator Barry Odom.

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Rhule takes over for Jim Grobe, who assumed the role of acting head coach at Baylor following Art Briles’ firing amid the sexual assault scandal at the school. The scandal also led to the removal of president Ken Starr and athletic director Ian McCaw, who has since landed at Liberty.

In the aftermath of Briles’ firing, Baylor’s roster took significant hits. A large percentage of the team’s 2016 recruiting class opted to leave the program and the Bears currently have just one commitment in the 2017 class. Rhule will need to hit the ground running on the recruiting trail in Texas, a state in which he has never coached.

Before Briles’ removal, Baylor had won at least 10 games in three straight seasons, including Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014.

Under Grobe, the Bears went 6-6 this season after a 6-0 start. The Bears will take on Boise State in the Cactus Bowl on Dec. 27.

For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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