Stan Drayton shares real reason behind joining James Franklin at Penn State
Stan Drayton said that it was a "no-brainer" for him to join Penn State this offseason. Drayton was fired as Temple coach in November after going 9-25 since joining the program in 2021. He joins the Nittany Lions as their running backs coach.
Drayton was interviewed by Penn State football's Steve Jones on Thursday, where he discussed his hiring. He went into detail on his decision to join the Nittany Lions and his relationship with James Franklin.
"I've been knowing James for a long time, and he's always handled himself with such high integrity," Drayton said. "As an individual you hold yourself to such a standard, it's only going to culminate into the program that you're in charge of. I've watched him over his career, he's held that standard everywhere he's been. Now he has an opportunity here at Penn State, he's been here for a while. And what else to say about Penn State?
"With the school in this state, all you hear is Penn State. I worked in this state, all you hear is Penn State. It's a premiere opportunity with a premiere coaching staff for me to continue my career. So it was a no-brainer for me it really was. It's a high-tier program that's holding integrity and it was all about raising the whole man here and I really appreciate that."
A look at Stan Drayton's lengthy coaching resume
Stan Drayton has a wealth of coaching experience as a running backs coach that dates back to 1993. He served as the position coach for programs such as Bowling Green, Mississippi State, Florida, Syracuse, Ohio State and Texas. He also had stints in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears.
After his failed run with Temple in his first-ever head coaching gig, Drayton has returned to being a running backs coach where he'll serve under James Franklin.
He steps in to fill the role left behind by Ja’Juan Seider, who left to serve as the associate coach and running backs coach for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish signed Seider after a season where they made an appearance in the national championship game, coming up short against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Drayton will inherit a pair of 1,000-yard rushers from the 2024 season in running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.