Temple has identified Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton as its top candidate to become its next head football coach and is in advanced negotiations with the veteran assistant, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.
As long as negotiations continue to progress and conclude, Drayton could be announced and made available for a press conference as early as Thursday morning, according to a source familiar with the situation.
This comes just more than two weeks after Temple fired Rod Carey, who finished with a 12-20 record in three seasons on North Broad Street. The Owls finished 3-9 this season and closed it out on a seven-game losing streak.
This would be Drayton’s first heading coaching job, but he would come to Temple with 27 years of coaching experience in other roles. He served as Villanova’s running backs coach from 1996 to 2000, where he helped recruit and develop Eagles standout running back Brian Westbrook.
Drayton was also Ohio State’s running backs coach from 2012 to 2014 and coached the likes of future NFL standouts Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde. At Texas, Drayton helped recruit Bijan Robinson, the country’s top-rated 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 New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore and current Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, who was drafted No. 4 overall in 2018, to sign with Ohio State.
He 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.
There is also some NFL coaching experience on Drayton’s resume. Before coaching at Texas, he spent two seasons as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears. There, he helped Jordan Howard set the Bears’ single-season rookie rushing record with 1,313 yards.
If hired, Drayton would take over a Temple program reeling from consecutive disappointing seasons with a number of high-profile players entering the transfer portal. The Owls signed just three players from the 2022 class to National Letters of Intent Wednesday.