What to Know About Stan Drayton, Penn State's Next Running Backs Coach

Drayton is a coaching veteran who has won three national championships, one as a player, and has head-coaching and NFL experience.

Former Temple Owls head coach Stan Drayton is set to become Pen State's new running backs coach. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Penn State is set to hire Stan Drayton as its new running backs coach to replace Ja'Juan Seider, who is leaving the Nittany Lions after seven years for Notre Dame. Drayton might be the nation's most experienced running backs coach, having spent more than 20 years coaching backs in the NFL, Big Ten, SEC and beyond. His resume includes a host of top-flight backs, notably Ezekiel Elliott, Bijan Robinson and Brian Westbrook.

Here's what to know about Stan Drayton, Penn State football's next running backs coach.

Drayton comes to Penn State from Temple

Sometimes, assistant coaches follow a timing fit for Penn State and coach James Franklin. Drayton, 53, spent just under three seasons as Temple's head coach, going 9-25. Temple fired Drayton last November, with Athletic Director Arthur Johnson saying in a release that Drayton had "represented the University with a tremendous amount of integrity and class."

Upon being named Temple's head coach in 2022, Drayton called the opportunity, his first as a head coach, a "dream come true." Temple long has been a difficult place to win, so Drayton could not be faulted for not doing that. But when Penn State needed a position coach, Franklin found Drayton's experience and skill set difficult to look past. It's similar to Franklin hiring Manny Diaz and Tom Allen as defensive coordinators after both had been fired as head coaches. Those hires worked out well.

RELATED: James Franklin explains why Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen both returned to Penn State

Drayton has won three national championships, one as a player

Franklin is bringing in people with hardware. Jim Knowles, Penn State's new defensive coordinator, arrived in State College just over a week after winning a national championship with Ohio State. Drayton also has a ring with the Buckeyes, having coached running backs there with the 2014 national championship team. In 2006, Drayton served as the running backs coach for Florida's title team. In both cases, Drayton worked with Urban Meyer.

As a player, Drayton helped Allegheny College to the 1990 Division III national championship. Allegheny beat Lycoming 21-14 in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, with Drayton playing running back on the team. Drayton was a three-time, first-team All-American at Allegheny, having rushed for 3,272 career yards and 54 touchdowns. He also was a two-time track All-American in the 100- and 200-meter sprints.

Drayton has coached some exceptional college backs

Before taking the Temple job, Drayton spent five seasons as running backs coach and assistant head coach at Texas, where he worked for Tom Herman and was retained by Steve Sarkisian. At Texas, Drayton coached several talented backs, including Robinson, who would go on to rush for 1,580 yards and win the Doak Walker Award in 2022 after Drayton left for Temple.

At Ohio State, where he spent two seasons as assistant head coach, Drayton coached Carlos Hyde to a 1,500-yard season in 2013 and Elliott to an 1,878-yard season in 2014. Elliott, then a sophomore, capped that season with three 200-yard games, including a 246-yard, four-touchdown performance against Oregon in the College Football Playoff championship game. Drayton also spent one season as wide receivers coach at Ohio State.

Drayton has coached multiple 1,000-yard rushers, including Jerious Norwood at Mississippi State in 2004 and Westbrook at Villanova.

Urban Meyer has hired Drayton four times

When Meyer vists Penn State with the Big Noon Kickoff broadcast team, he and Drayton will have much to discuss. Meyer has hired or retained Drayton as a position coach four times over their careers. Meyer first hired Drayton at Bowling Green on his first staff 200, bringing the running backs coach in from Villanova.

Meyer then hired Drayton at Florida in 2005, re-hired him in 2010 (having "settled some differences with Drayton, according to the Palm Beach Post) and then brought him to Ohio State in 2012.

"We're in great shape," Drayton said of his relationship with Meyer in 2010, according to the Palm Beach Post. "We understand each other, we respect each other, and we're going to move forward."

Drayton has NFL experience

Drayton did two tours in the NFL, working with the Green Bay Packers from 2001-03 and the Chicago Bears in 2015-16. Drayton was the running backs coach in Chicago, where he guided fifth-round pick Jordan Howard to a 1,313-yard rookie season in 2016. Drayton and Franklin just missed each other in Green Bay; Franklin was the wide receivers coach in 2005.

Drayton has crossed the country in college

Penn State will be the 13th different school at which Drayton has worked since beginning his coaching career at Allegheny, his alma mater, in 1993. Drayton has coached in the Big Ten (Ohio State), SEC (Florida, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Texas) and the ACC (Syracuse). Penn State also will be Drayton's fourth Pennsylvania school with Allegheny, Penn and Villanova.

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