The recent hire of running backs coach Stan Drayton by Penn State head coach James Franklin has been met with plenty of praise.
Penn State Fans Excited About Stan Drayton
According to ESPN insider Pete Thamel, Drayton’s deal is for one year.
Drayton should help ensure that Penn State stays one of America’s best-rushing teams.
Sources: Stan Drayton has signed a multi-year deal to become the next running backs coach at Penn State. He’s the former head coach at Temple and is a veteran NFL and college running back coach. pic.twitter.com/cyIwxiueqk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 14, 2025
Fans are sharing their excitement for the hire on social media. One fan commented, “Fantastic hire,” while another said, “Home run hire by Penn State.”
Fans are excited about this move in part because Drayton has an incredible track record coaching college running backs. While at Ohio State from 2011-2014, he coached Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott, who both rushed for 1,500+ yards in his tenure.
He went on to join the Chicago Bears in 2015 and helped guide franchise legend Matt Forte to another season with at least 1,200 scrimmage yards. Later on in his coaching career, he joined the Texas Longhorns and got the opportunity to coach Bijan Robinson.
Robinson would go on to become an All-American and a Doak Walker Award winner. Now, Drayton is taking over a group of running backs at Penn State that were among the best in the nation in 2024.
An Elite Ground Game
The Nittany Lions had the 17th-best rushing attack in the FBS last season, averaging 202.3 yards per game on the ground.
They were also one of 10 teams to rush for 35 or more touchdowns. The duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen is one of the best in America.
Allen led the team in rushing with 1,108 rushing yards, while Singleton came in second on the team with 1,099 yards. Singleton rushed for 12 scores, while Allen put up eight rushing touchdowns.
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This is a school that has a proud history of having great running backs such as Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Ki-Jana Carter, and Larry Johnson. With the addition of Drayton to the coaching staff, this Nittany Lions ground attack could take it up a notch.
Penn State is trying to find a way to beat both Ohio State and Michigan, but it can’t do that if they don’t have an elite running attack against the elite defenses of the conference.
Drayton will make sure that they have just that.
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