Penn State is reportedly set to fill its running backs coach vacancy with former Temple head coach Stan Drayton after longtime assistant Ja’Juan Seider left for Notre Dame this week. The move by James Franklin was made quickly after former NFL star and current Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray reportedly turned down the Nittany Lions to remain in Norman.
Drayton took over as the head coach at Temple in 2022 and coached the Owls to a 9-25 record before he was fired following a 3-7 start this past season. Drayton has 31 years of coaching experience, most of it as a running backs coach both in the NFL and college football.
Prior to his stint at Temple, Drayton was the assistant head coach, run-game coordinator, and running backs coach at Texas under Tom Herman and into Steve Sarkisian’s first season. That breadth of experience will be valuable in Happy Valley because Franklin isn’t just replacing his running backs coach, he’s also filling the job of one of his most tenured assistants who also took on the role of assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.
The timing of the move coincides with reports that 2026 four-star running back Messiah Mickens, who has been committed to the program since 2023, is exploring his options following Seider’s departure, including potentially flipping to Notre Dame. Drayton will be tasked with keeping one of the centerpieces of the Nittany Lion’s 2026 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 4 in the nation, and with keeping the Penn State run game on track for second-year offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
In a big surprise, Penn State was able to retain not just one, but both of its 1,000-yard rushers from last season, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Both were draft-eligible but instead opted to return and chase a national championship as seniors with quarterback Drew Allar.
The Nittany Lions also have plenty of talent behind Singleton and Allen, including Cam Wallace, who spent much of the 2024 season injured, Quinton Martin Jr. and Corey Smith, who both redshirted their freshman years in the fall and incoming 2025 four-star Jabree Wallace-Coleman.
Drayton was reportedly signed to a multi-year contract, but if either Singleton or Allen take a step back in their final season in Happy Valley, Franklin should be quick to move on because the longtime assistant and former head coach is set up for success in Year 1 on staff.