Championship-pedigree coach reportedly joining Penn State
Stan Drayton isn’t chasing a job. He’s choosing one — one that brings him back to the elite ranks of college football after a 9-25 tenure leading Temple.
Drayton is heading to Penn State as its next running backs coach, a move first reported on Friday by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and later confirmed by multiple outlets, including 247Sports. Drayton brings a loaded resume, highlighted by national championships at Florida (2006) and Ohio State (2014), along with a reputation for developing elite talent.
Penn State head coach James Franklin made it clear Tuesday that he wasn’t looking for just anyone to fill the void left by Ja’Juan Seider, who took the same role at Notre Dame last weekend.
“We’ve got to go out and get the very best candidate we can,” Franklin said Tuesday, per 247Sports’ Tyler Donohue. “There’s a list that’s probably not as deep as people think of candidates that can come to Penn State.”
Drayton is one of those select few coaches with a proven ability to develop top-tier talent while maintaining strong relationships with players and recruits alike. He inherits a backfield featuring Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, both returning after 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
Managing big expectations in a running back room won’t be new for Drayton — his track record speaks for itself. His list of former players includes Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde at Ohio State, Bijan Robinson at Texas, Jerious Norwood at Mississippi State and Brian Westbrook at Villanova. He also played a role in recruiting Cam Newton and the Pouncey twins, Mike and Maurkice, to Florida, per his Temple bio.
Beyond coaching, Seider left big shoes to fill in recruiting. He was named 247Sports’ 2023 Big Ten Recruiter of the Year, and Franklin stressed that trait was high on his checklist for a replacement.
“It’s not the end-all be-all, but I think when we can get somebody that’s from either the Northeast or the Big Ten footprint, that’s important too,” he said.
Drayton, with deep roots in the region and a long history of top-tier recruiting, checks that box.
Franklin also emphasized the need for experience without a decline in trajectory, a key factor that apparently set Drayton apart from other candidates. While some options may have had strong recruiting chops or player development skills, few combined both at an elite level with the proven ability to win at powerhouse programs.
“You kind of find that sweet spot of a guy that’s got enough experience, both in coaching and in recruiting at this level, that we’re going to get the return on our investment quickly,” Franklin said. “That’s the hard part, finding that sweet spot… but not too much that maybe they’re on the downward trend of their career as well.”
Drayton fits that mold. He’s coached at every level, from the NFL to powerhouse college programs, and now, he steps into a situation at Penn State where talent is already in place. His job isn’t to build from scratch — it’s to take an already talented group and push it to championship caliber.
