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Penn State football has reportedly found the man to lead arguably the top running back groups in the nation.
And, once again, coach James Franklin and the Nittany Lions have made about the biggest hiring splash possible. Just a couple of weeks after hiring arguably the top defensive coordinator in the nation, they now appear to have secured one of the most highly-regarded running back coaches.
Stan Drayton, who’s won two national championships coaching some of the nation’s top running backs, will be joining the Nittany Lions staff, according to a report from ESPN senior writer Pete Thamel.
Drayton, who will turn 54 next month, most recently served as head coach of the Temple Owls. He was fired in November after his team won just nine games over three seasons.
But he’s coming to Penn State to do what he’s done best: recruit and coach running backs, like he’s done in the Big Ten, SEC and elsewhere for more than two decades.
He steps into an enviable position in State College. He’ll be in charge of what may be the top running back room in the nation, headlined by senior leaders Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, both 1,000-yard rushers last season. There are five younger, promising scholarship running backs behind them and two nationally elite prospects verbally committed to Penn State (Harrisburg High junior Messiah Mickens; McKeesport sophomore Kemon Spell).
This move is the latest for Franklin and his team during the busiest start possible to 2025: They made a playoff run into January, convinced a large contingent of stars, like Singleton and Allen, to return for the upcoming season, then hired top defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from national champion Ohio State.
They wrapped up one recruiting class, are busy building two more.
And they begin spring practice in just over a month.
Drayton, a Cleveland, Ohio native,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/penn-state-football-lands-top-171320835.html
Author : York Daily Record
Publish date : 2025-02-14 17:13:00
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