Brian L. Smith is the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a position he took in 2025 as part of K.C. Keeler's first football staff.
Smith arrived at Temple after seven seasons directing the defense at Rice, where he also coached safeties from 2018 to 2020 and again in 2023 and 2024, with linebackers added in 2021 and 2022. His Rice defenses showed steady improvement and produced some of the program's best numbers in decades. In 2024, with nine returning starters from the previous season, Rice finished the regular season ninth nationally in pass defense at 173.8 yards allowed per game, the school's best mark in that category since 1986. The Owls also ranked 36th in total defense and cut opponent production to 334.4 yards per game, while allowing 25.4 points per game. Smith was nominated for the Broyles Award that season.
