Buckle your seat belts, the coaching staff at the University of Texas continues to be shaken up this offseason.
Within the past month, the Longhorns football program has parted ways with their offensive and defensive coordinators, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach, wide receiver coach, and safeties coach.
Associate head coach and running game coordinator Stan Drayton could be one of the most important position coaches for head coach Tom Herman to retain on his staff. According to Austin American-Statesman reporter Brian Davis, this may prove to be harder for Herman than originally expected.
Also, there are serious rumblings that Texas RB coach Stan Drayton is being courted by NFL teams.
— Brian Davis (@BDavisAAS) January 8, 2020
This could just simply be professional teams gauging Stanton’s interest, but the rumblings come just hours after NFL Network Reporter Jane Slater reported that Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy had recently offered a job to an unnamed running backs coach that has yet to accept the position.
At RB, the job was offered to someone other than Gary Brown who was on an expiring contract. That person has yet to accept. Brown would be excellent choice still as I’m told players want him back should the candidate turn it down. https://t.co/j4AMoTWrme
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 8, 2020
What may add fuel to these rumors is the history Stanton has with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. Under Drayton’s guidance at Ohio State, Elliott finished third in the nation with 1,878 rushing yards as a sophomore in 2014. After playing a large role in the Buckeyes 2014 National Championship, Drayton accepted a job as the Chicago Bears running backs coach.
Since arriving at Texas, Drayton has worked wonders with running back Keontay Ingram. The most impressive impact Drayton has had at Texas may be what he’s been able to accomplish with true freshman Jordan Whittington transitioning from wide receiver to running backs before a sports hernia surgery sidelined him for the majority of the season.
With an injury-ridden running backs group, Drayton then transitioned the Longhorns No. 3 quarterback Roschon Johnson into a natural running back just one week prior to the 2019 season. Johnson finished the year with 758 all-purpose yards.
These reports seem too coincidental to just simply be rumors. With five-star running back Bijan Robinson committed to Texas’ 2020 class, the hope is that Drayton remains with the Longhorns.