The Penn State Nittany Lions made one of the more underrated hirings of the offseason when they brought on former Temple head coach Stan Drayton to be the team’s new running backs coach.
So, how will the running back duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen perform with Drayton as their new position coach?
Both Penn State Running Backs Are Extremely Talented
It needs to be said that Singleton and Allen are both elite, talented backs, regardless of any of their coaching staff. Last season, Kaytron Allen led the team in rushing with 1,108 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Nicholas Singleton led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns.
Together, the two combined for 2,200 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in 2024 while putting together an impressive average of 5.7 yards per rush.
These two could quite possibly be the best duo in the country, and they now get to be coached by a premier running backs coach in Drayton, who knows all about coaching great college rushers.
Stan Drayton’s Past Experience Should Help
Before getting the job at Temple, Drayton had plenty of experience coaching some of the country’s best running backs.
In Columbus, he coached both Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde to solid collegiate careers. Hyde rushed for over 1,500 yards in 2013, while Elliott ran for over 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2014.
After his time at Ohio State was up, Drayton went on to coach then-Pro Bowl running back Jordan Howard with the Chicago Bears.
He later returned to college to coach running backs for the Texas Longhorns. There, he coached current Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson.
So, Penn State fans should be very excited about the potential of this Penn State ground attack with Drayton now in the building.
KEEP READING: James Franklin Opens Up About Penn State’s WR Room
Under head coach James Franklin, the Nittany Lions have churned out some of the best rushing offenses and best backs in college football.
Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders are two of the more recent and prominent names in the list of great Penn State running backs who have gone on to the next level. Time will tell whether Drayton can help Allen and Singleton do the same.
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