College football’s offseason has been nuttier than a squirrel convention. One minute, you blink, and boom—another coach done packing his bags for a bigger bag. We saw Chip Kelly dip out to the NFL for a cool $6 million, Jim Knowles getting that record-breaking $3.1 million to lock down Penn State’s defense, and even Matt Patricia bringing his NFL brain back to the college game with Ohio State. Straight chaos. But this one? Oh, this one is different. An HC with a 9-25 head coaching record just finessed his way into a prime gig with a playoff contender.
Man, James Franklin must be playing chess while everybody else is stuck on tic-tac-toe. See, ever since Penn State’s natty dreams got left on read by Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame in the semifinals, Franklin has been moving like a Wall Street hustler—no hesitation, no mercy, all gas. First, he swiped Knowles from Ohio State with a fat paycheck. Then, he took a hard left and hit us with the curveball of the year: hiring Stan Drayton, fresh off a rough stint at Temple, to coach up Penn State’s running backs. 9-25 at Temple? Yeah, that part don’t sound pretty, but don’t let the numbers fool you—this HC has been around the block, and he got receipts.
Sources: Stan Drayton has signed a multi-year deal to become the next running backs coach at Penn State. He’s the former head coach at Temple and is a veteran NFL and college running back coach. pic.twitter.com/cyIwxiueqk
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 14, 2025
Drayton’s head coaching career at Temple? Sheesh, let’s keep it a buck—it was brutal. 9 wins in 3 years? That’s the kinda record that usually gets you ghosted by Power 5 programs. But here’s the kicker: Look, Penn State ain’t bringing him in to be the head honcho. Nah, he’s here to do what he does best—build some straight-up monsters in that backfield. And if history tells us anything, Drayton can turn a solid running back into an absolute problem.
We are talking about an RB coach who literally helped mold Ezekiel Elliott into a first-round pick, got Bijan Robinson looking like he was some lab experiment at Texas, and turned Carlos Hyde into a Big Ten beast. The man’s been at Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Syracuse, and even had a stint in the NFL with the Bears. That’s 20-plus years of cooking up elite tailbacks. And now? He got two certified dawgs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, both fresh off 1,000-yard seasons. Man, this backfield ‘bout to be straight-up nasty. James Franklin might’ve caught heat for that playoff L, but he ain’t sitting around feeling sorry for himself for long.
The Penn State head coach went full Thanos mode on the coaching market, snatching up pieces like he was collecting Infinity Stones. First, he locked down Knowles to fix the defense, and now he got Drayton in charge of the RBs? It’s like Penn State saw their shortcomings and said, ‘Bet. We ‘bout to load up.’ James Franklin gave big props to Drayton: “Stan Drayton brings decades of experience coaching running backs at the highest levels to our program..He is an important addition to our staff. His experience as a head coach and working alongside elite backs in his career will be invaluable to our running backs room.”
And let’s not forget—this move wasn’t just about the X’s and O’s. Drayton ain’t just a coach; he’s a straight-up recruiter. He’s the same coach who helped Florida pull in Cam Newton and the Pouncey twins back in the day. The same coach who turned Texas RBs into certified ballers. With Penn State already sitting on two elite running back recruits in Messiah Mickens and Kemon Spell, you best believe they’re gonna keep that pipeline flowing.
James Franklin and Stan Drayton: Penn State cooking for 2025 season?
Look, if all you see is 9-25, you’re missing the bigger picture. Temple wasn’t exactly a dream job—it was more like walking into a tornado with an umbrella. The roster was thin, the competition’s low-key stacked, and let’s be real, the AAC ain’t exactly a cakewalk. Drayton ain’t no miracle worker, but he ain’t some scrub, either. The man knows how to coach, and in the right situation, he can cook.
And let’s not forget, he’s stepping into a situation where he got everything he needs. Top-tier talent? Check. A system that loves to run the rock? Check. A program that’s already sniffing and flirting around natty parameters? Big check. This move just proves that Franklin ain’t content with being close—he’s trying to get over the hump.
James Franklin took Penn State to the playoffs, but they didn’t write an $85 million cheque to James Franklin just to make the playoff appearance. They want natty; the Happy Valley ain’t gonna stop until they get one. They tryna run the table, and stacking up an elite staff is part of the blueprint. Drayton might not have the head coaching juice, but when it comes to molding elite backs and keeping the pipeline full, he’s one of the best in the business.
As for Temple? Well, they might be shaking their heads at that 9-25 record, but Penn State saw past the L’s and straight-up stole a guy who could be a major key in their natty push. We’ll keep it real, James Franklin’s literally walking on a tightrope with a ballerina shoe. It’s literally a do-or-die type of season for him. And no wonder why he’s going all out and bought some coaches with elite track records and diabolical receipts.
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