When Steve Sarkisian took over for Tom Herman in early January, only two assistant coaches were retained: Andre Coleman and Stan Drayton. The wide receiver and running backs coach respectively, it was surprising to see Sarkisian keep two of Herman’s former offensive coaches.
You would think Sarkisian, considered an offensive mind, would want to get his own guys in to run his system. Keeping assistants from the previous staff is rare and hardly ever works. At the end of the day, there is a reason the previous regime failed.
Coleman has produced doubters, especially as a recruiter. Reports of Sarkisian wanting to hire a different wide receiver coach circulated, but nothing came to fruition.
Drayton, on the other hand, has been nothing but a home run for Texas dating back to his hiring in 2017. Sarkisian knew he had one of the best running back coaches in the country.
Recruiting has been Drayton’s bread and butter over the past four seasons. Twice now has he landed the No. 1 in-state running back in Keaontay Ingram (2018) and Jaydon Blue (2022). Add on Monday’s commitment from Jamarion Miller, who is currently the No. 2 in-state running back according to the composite.
The icing on the cake was/has been Bijan Robinson. The No. 1 back in the country in the 2020 class, it almost seemed like destiny the Arizona native was going to Ohio State. He even gave the Buckeyes the silent commit.
Drayton was able to persuade Robinson with a relationship that goes further than football.
“For me and [Drayton] it’s more of a deeper level,” Robinson said. “Getting that relationship off the field, talking about life and family.”
Go back even further and current NFL backs will have endearing things to say about Drayton.
Before working for the Chicago Bears for two seasons, Drayton was at Ohio State with Herman and Urban Meyer. In 2014, the Buckeyes won the national championship, many thanks to Ezekiel Elliot’s performances against Alabama and Oregon.
During the draft process, Elliot credited Drayton with developing him into the player he had become.
“He was hard on me since I got on campus and he’s really the biggest reason why I’m here today and I’m the back I am today,” said Elliot. “He made sure when I learned this position that I learned it thoroughly, that I learned not just what I do but what the guys around me do. That made me understand the game so much better. He taught me how to anticipate instead of just going off of reactions and going off of instincts. That made me play faster and made me into a great player.”
As we saw at a larger scale with Herman, recruiting at the top level does not equal success in the talent development department. Running back seemed to be the only position players thrived from 2017-2020.
The 2021 season should be no different. Robinson is projected to be one of the best running backs in the country, even getting some Heisman talks. Alabama transfer Keilan Robinson is expected to come in and bring a whole new dynamic to the run game after spending some time with Drayton.
However, the most impressive of Drayton’s development projects has been Roschon Johnson. When Texas was down at running back due to injuries in 2019, a true freshman quarterback was thrown into the ringer and thrived.
Johnson has over 1,000 rushing yards in two seasons while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He may not be RB1 on the depth chart, but he is just as important to this Texas team as the next man.
NFL teams attempted to lure Drayton back into the professionals. Both the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams wanted the running backs coach, but with no success.
Retaining Drayton could prove to be one of the most beneficial decisions Sarkisian made when assembly his staff. With all the running back talent about to be in Austin, NFL draft picks are inevitable.
The A+ recruiter he is plus a proven track record of producing talent for the next level? Every running back will want to come to Austin.