Temple Football head coach K.C. Keeler has announced that passing game coordinator/cornerbacks coach, Henry Baker, will add the title of Assistant Head Coach.
"Henry has earned a promotion and we're so happy that he's a leader on this staff," said Keeler. "I've seen Henry develop from the time he began as a coach with me at Delaware. He's a great teacher, an outstanding recruiter, and a tireless leader. I'm excited to see his continued growth on and off the field."
During the 2025 season, Baker helped the Temple defense shave 21.0 yards (417.8 in 2024 to 396.8 in 2025) and 5.7 points per game (35.4 to 29.7) from the previous season. His work with seniors Ben Osueke and Jaylen Castleberry, helped prepare the duo for the next level. Along the way he developed youngsters Denzel Chavis, Adrian Laing and Earl Kulp who are poised for increased playing time and greater responsibilities in 2026.
"I'm extremly excited about the opportunity'" said Baker. "Growing up as the son of a head coach, my father was a longtime basketball coach for over 30 years, and when I got into the profession it was always a dream of mine to eventually ascend to that position.
"I'm just grateful that Coach Keeler sees those leadership abilities in me and has given me the opportunity to learn from him. What better person to learn from than somebody like Coach Keeler, who is the all-time active winningest coach. I think the mark of a good leader is to develop other good leaders and so I'm honored that he saw fit to give this position to me."
"My job is to serve him, serve Coach Smith, serve the team in any way that I can and I think that's what leadership is. It's not about titles; it's about the ability to serve the team, the community, and the university."
Baker came to Temple in 2025 following one season at Marshall. In that one season with the Thundering Herd, he helped them to a Sun Belt Conference title as the school's co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks' coach.
Baker arrived at Marshall after helping to build Maryland's secondary into an elite unit. The 2023 team finished ranked No. 3 in the nation in interceptions – a category they also led the Big Ten in – while also ranking No. 12 in FBS in pass efficiency defense.
The Paterson, N.J. native, developed several NFL players during his time with the Terps, including cornerback Tarheeb Still, who finished No. 3 in the nation in interceptions in 2023 and was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers.
Baker also had a pair of former Maryland cornerbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft – first round pick Deonte Banks, who went to the New York Giants, and fourth round selection, Jakorian Bennett, who was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders.
In his first season at Maryland in 2020, Baker helped the defense to a No. 13 national ranking in pass efficiency defense and No. 25 rank in passing yards allowed while lowering the passing yards allowed per game more than 70 yards from the previous season. Still and Nick Cross earned All-Big Ten honors in that season while Still was also named a Freshman All-American.
The success continued in 2021 when CB Bennett led the Power 5 in pass breakups and also earned All-Big Ten honors.
Prior to the return to his alma mater, Baker spent the 2019 season with the New York Giants as the assistant defensive backs coach. That stint in the NFL came after one-year stints as the cornerbacks coach at North Carolina (2018) and Rutgers (2017).
From 2011-16, Baker was the cornerbacks coach at the University of Delaware. During his final two years, the Blue Hens were nationally-ranked in passing yards allowed, interceptions and scoring defense.
During his time at Delaware, Baker also took part in the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship – a program geared toward using NFL training camps and offseason workout programs as a tool to give talented coaches the chance to observe and participate with NFL teams to gain experience that will help them enhance their coaching careers. Baker was a selection for the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship in three years during his time at Delaware, spending summers with the Miami Dolphins (2013), Detroit Lions (2015) and the New York Giants (2016), who later hired him as an assistant.
During his playing career, Baker was a four-time letterwinner and two-year starter at Maryland from 1994-97. Baker went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2003 and also spent several years in the Arena Football League.
Baker has three children Reina, Kaila, and Khloe.
