Stan Drayton run atop the Temple football program ended prematurely last fall, as Drayton couldn't lift up the Owls to become a consistent winner.
It's about the only time Drayton hasn't been successful as a college coach.
The longtime running backs coach in both the SEC and the Big Ten, as well as a former NFL assistant, has emerged as the top target in James Franklin's quest to find Penn State's next running backs coach.
The Nittany Lions lost the well-regarded Ja'Juan Seider last weekend to Notre Dame, which awarded Seider a multi-year contract worth seven figures annually, several sources told FootballScoop.
Drayton has been a running backs coach of distinction at several programs, most notably Florida, Ohio State and the University of Tennessee.
He was head coach at Temple for not quite three seasons, posting three wins in each of the 2022-23-24 campaigns before being removed prior to the end of last season.
Drayton also had a three-year run on staff with the NFL's Green Bay Packers in early 2000s and more recently last decade was the Chicago Bears running backs coach for two seasons from 2015-16.
He's also coached at Syracuse and Mississippi State among his Power Conference stops.
If Penn State can finalize the deal, Drayton stands to take over arguably college football's top running backs group for the 2025 season.
The Nittany Lions, who advanced to the College Football Playoff Semifinals last month, return headliners Nicholan Singleton and Kaytron Allen at the running back position. Singleton had been widely viewed as a potential top running back prospect in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft before he elected to return to Penn State for a final season.
Penn State opens its 2025 season at home Aug. 30 against Jeff Choate's Nevada Wolf Pack. The Nittany Lions also have Big Ten games against Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana -- all CFP participants last season.
Friday update> This deal is now in place.