TEMPLE, Texas — Temple High School is hiring Thomas Rocco to be the new defensive coordinator, according to a press release by Temple ISD.
Rocco arrives from being the cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator at Sam Houston State University.
Rocco's other coaching stints include being the head coach at Tyler Junior College, defensive coordinator West Texas A&M, and others.
Rocco made a statement in the press release with the announcement.
“College coaching offers a certain lifestyle that is fun, but it is a little different when you have a family.
I’ve known about Temple; the tradition, the location and I’ve heard so many great things about Coach Stewart. So, the deck was kind of stacked in Temple’s favor when I heard this might be a possibility. I want to get to know the kids and give them a chance to get to know me, so at first it will be less about football and more about people. Learning how the kids are going to learn and adjusting to how they are going to intake things, but I have a teaching background, so it won’t be that big of an adjustment to go from college to high school coaching."
Rocco also has football experience on the field as he played cornerback at Fort Lewis and played defensive back at the University of New Mexico.
Temple head football coach Scott Stewart also made a statement on Rocco's hiring.
“In the conversations we’ve had, his attention to detail and the pursuit of relationships were obvious from the start. He checked every box and Coach Rocco is well versed in multiple fronts and packages. There is a lot of credibility having been a college head coach and coordinator for as long as he has with some pretty impressive programs. It is the whole package when you put the relationships piece with his knowledge of schematics and techniques. I am very excited for him to be here, and I am excited to see what he does because he can take us to another level."
Temple High School athletic director Steven Prentiss knew how important it was to bring in a defensive coordinator.
“I think he can help mold and lead some of our young coaches, and I am looking forward to seeing how he can put his fingerprints not only on our kids, but also on our coaching staff," he said.
Temple now enters the 2024 season with new coordinators on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
