The Penn State Nittany Lions announced a new hire on Friday.
Penn State hired Stan Drayton to be the team’s next running backs coach. As the coaching staff undergoes some change under head coach James Franklin, the Nittany Lions have bolstered their staff with this new addition.
Penn State’s hire of Drayton comes after he spent three seasons in nearby Philadelphia as the head coach of the Temple Owls. Temple parted ways with Drayton after three seasons (2022-24). PSU made the move official with a release on Friday afternoon.
“Drayton, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, joins the Nittany Lions after spending three seasons as the head coach at Temple,” the program said. “He is a 32-year coaching veteran with 25 years of experience coaching running backs. Drayton has been a part of two national championship coaching staffs and brings five years of NFL coaching experience.”
Drayton is no stranger to the Big Ten as he’s coached previously for Ohio State in the 21st century. He was on the Buckeyes’ staff from 2011 to 2014.
Penn State made one of the biggest coaching hires this offseason. They hired Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to serve under the same position. The move sent shockwaves throughout the conference and the country, as Knowles is regarded as one of, if not the best coordinator in America.
Penn State’s Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton will both return for the Nittany Lions this season. They now will be coached up by Drayton, who will have his hands full with talented backs like these two.
Penn State figures to contend for the National Championship next year.
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Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022