Meet the candidate: Stan Drayton
Editor's note: In covering Temple's search for its next head football coach, OwlScoop.com will be highlighting coaches who are or could be candidates for the job. We'll be sure to note well-sourced information about the coaches where we have it so we can help provide context about their candidacy.
Stan Drayton
Texas Offensive Run Game Coordinator and Running Backs Coach
You can read the other profiles we've done here:
Elijah Robinson - Texas A&M defensive line coach
Mike Siravo - Carolina Panthers senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach
Fran Brown - Rutgers secondary coach
Drayton’s potential candidacy rests on two key factors. He’s been the running backs coach at Texas since 2017, meaning he spent time working under Temple athletic director Arthur Johnson. Drayton also served as the running backs coach for Penn in 1995 and took the same position at Villanova from 1996-2000 giving him a Philadelphia connection. Drayton helped develop Eagles standout running back Brian Westbrook during his time at Villanova.
At a press conference on Monday, Johnson mentioned that a candidate without local connections would not get strong consideration for the job.
In more recent years, Drayton has helped the likes of Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott when he served as Ohio State’s running back coach from 2012-14. Under Drayton, Elliot helped power the Buckeyes to a national championship, had the second-best single rushing season in program history, and was selected No. 4 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
At Texas, Drayton has continued his success and proven to be a strong recruiter. He successfully recruited Bijan Robinson, who was rated as the country’s best running back in the 2020 class. In just two seasons under Drayton, Robinson has already produced 1,830 rushing yards and gotten buzz as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Drayton isn’t just known for recruiting running backs. He got current Carolina Panthers cornerback and former NFL DPOY Marshawn Lattimore and current Cleveland Browns’ cornerback Denzel Ward, who was drafted number four overall in 2018, to sign with Ohio State.
Drayton is also credited with getting Cam Newton to sign with Florida before he transferred to Auburn later in his career. He also helped land longtime NFL centers Mike and Maurkice Pouncey while at Florida.
Before coming to Texas, Drayton spent two seasons as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. There, he helped current Eagle, and then Bear, Jordan Howard set the Bears’ single-season rookie rushing record with 1,313 yards.
Drayton’s 27 years of coaching experience and well-rounded recruiting background make him an appealing candidate for the job. While he does technically have experience coaching in Philadelphia, that was more than 20 years ago. Discerning how strong Drayton’s ties are to the area today will most likely be an important factor in his candidacy.