Penn State Football: Stan Drayton Talks Penn State, Saquon Barkley in New Interview

Stan Drayton, Penn State's new running backs coach, arrives in State College with 25 years of experience coaching the position and a continued passion for teaching. He'll have a bustling room to guide, with seven scholarship backs on the Penn State football roster. And he understands the position's legacy in the program.

"If there's a crack in their foundation, then they create a mindset in a younger player that that’s acceptable, and that can’t be, especially at a place like Penn State," Drayon said in an interview with Steve Jones posted on Penn State football's X account. "There's a legacy of great backs [at Penn State], and we are following that legacy as we continue on today. It's important that our younger guys understand that it is bigger than them and they’re leaving something that has to be picked up and inherited by their teammates."

Drayton, who replaced Ja'Juan Seider on Penn State's offensive staff, covered some interesting ground in the interview, his first since joining the program. Drayton spent the past three seasons as Temple's head coach and has served as a running backs coach for successful college and NFL teams. He won national championships at Ohio State and Florida, coached with the Green Bay Packers and mentored backs such as Ezekiel Elliottt at Ohio State, Bijan Robinson at Texas and Bryan Westbrook at Villanova.

Drayton called himself a teacher first and foremost whose primary responsibility this winter will be getting to know his backs professionally and personally.

"First things first for me: I have to earn their trust, and they have to earn mine," Drayton said. "... If there's a guy who is more mature in his approach, and he’s doing things that are already at a high standard, then you can take that level of development to another level for them if they’re ready. But it has to be custom fit. I have to get in that room, get to know my guys inside and out, find out what their strengths and weaknesses are, where they are in their development both on and off the football field and them customize my approach accordingly to each individual."

Penn State coach James Franklin called Drayton an "important addition" to his staff, and Drayton repaid the compliment. Drayton said he has followed Franklin's career for years and called the Penn State position a "premier opportunity."

"I’ve known James for a long time, and he’s always handled himself with such high integrity," Drayton said in the interview. "I've watched him over his career, and he's held that standard. ... I went to school in this state [at Allegheny College], all you hear is Penn State. I’ve worked in this state, all you hear is Penn State. This is a premier opportunity with a premier coaching staff for me to continue my career. So it was a no-brainer for me, it really was."

Drayton also made an interesting reference to former Penn State running back Saquon Barkley and the expectations of college backs. Penn State returned 1,000-yard rushers Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen for their fourth seasons, an intriguing prospect not only for the program but also for their NFL futures. Drayton pointed to Barkley's success with the Philadelphia Eagles last season as the template.

"That’s the beauty of the running back position, especially in today’s football," Drayton said. "Everyone wants to devalue that position, especially in the [NFL], and then all of the sudden there's a Saquon Barkley who blows the scene up and all of the sudden that position is important again. Well, why? It’s not just because he can run the football. Certainly that’s a large part of it. But he became a dual threat, a guy who can catch the football and still be explosive and be productive on offense that way. "

"This is a premier opportunity with a premier coaching staff."

Extended one-on-one interview with Running Backs Coach @StanDrayton_🎙️ #WeAre pic.twitter.com/yFFfI66prB
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) February 20, 2025

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