Tag: Stan Drayton

How former Tennessee coaches voted Vols in final 2023 US LBM Coaches Poll

A look at how former Tennessee football coaches voted the Vols in their final 2023 Coaches Poll ballot.

The 2023 college football season concluded on Monday.

Michigan defeated Washington, 34-13, in the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Tennessee finished its 2023 season with a 9-4 (4-4 SEC) record under third-year head coach Josh Heupel.

Following the conclusion of the 2023 season on Monday, the US LBM Coaches Poll was released after the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Tennessee finished the season ranked No. 17 and received 529 points.

Former Tennessee head coaches and assistants, who are now serving as head coaches at other schools, voted in the US LBM Coaches Poll during the 2023 season.

Below are how Dave Clawson, Stan Drayton, Alex Golesh, Tyson Helton, Brady Hoke and Butch Jones voted Tennessee in their final ballot for the 2023 season.

Rutgers football: Greg Schiano was impressed with E.J. Warner, the son of Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner

Kurt Warner’s son, E.J. Warner, was solid for Temple in a loss to Rutgers.

PHILADELPHIA, PA — E.J. Warner had a solid first start for Temple football on Saturday, earning the praise of his own head coach as well as Greg Schiano on the opposing sideline.

He is the son of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who spent 12 NFL seasons where he won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams franchise. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback then played with the New York Giants and the last five seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals.

On Saturday, E.J. Warner had a strong day against a Rutgers (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) defense that had allowed just 29 combined points through the first two games of the season. Despite some heavy pressure from Rutgers, in particular in the second half, E.J. Warner was 19-of-32 for 215 yards with a touchdown and an interception in what was a 16-14 loss to Rutgers.

He showed poise, good pocket presence and consistently made the right reads against a very strong secondary. It was an impressive performance from the freshman quarterback, especially in his ball placement.

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His performance on Saturday left Schiano, the Rutgers head coach, impressed.

“He’s very decisive. He can take a hit and get rid of the ball accurately,” Schiano said.

“There was one today where I literally thought he threw up a hook shot and I thought that’s picked off and converted a third down. The kid is a good player. I was very impressed and I told him after the game that he has got a bright future. You know and I understand he’s not the biggest guy and all that stuff. What he is is very – he’s got a feel for the game.”

In front of over 33,000 fans, it was a big performance from the 6-foot quarterback against a Big Ten program.

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It was the first collegiate start for E.J. Warner, who came on in the second half last week to lead Temple (1-2, 0-0 AAC) to a win over Lafayette in their home opener.

A recruit out of Brophy College Prep (Phoenix, AZ), E.J. Warner was a three-star who didn’t have a Power Five offer.

Temple head coach Stan Drayton appears to have a solution at the quarterback position after some uncertainty in training camp.

“I actually knew back in fall camp that he had the potential to be a leader and a really good quarterback,” Drayton said after the game.

“He studies the game, he understands the game. He came into our program already knowing our offense. I knew it would be a matter of time, didn’t know it was going to be this soon. He really earned our trust in fall camp.”

A first-year head coach, Drayton acknowledged that there is room for growth from E.J. Warner, even as it was a good first step for the Owls to get some stability on offense.

“Still growing, I feel that he is going to continue to get better. We need to get more consistency around him, more consistent play around him, we need to protect him so he can throw his ball on time. Our receivers are doing a good job, they can do a better job of getting open in man-coverage,” Drayton said.

“I think we have to do a really good job as coaches to put (in) a system that will fit his skillset.”

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Report: Temple is attempting to poach Texas director of recruiting Brandon Harris

Will Brandon Harris choose to join Stan Drayton at Temple?

Texas is having to make a few changes to their staff this offseason, and another may be on the way. Continue reading “Report: Temple is attempting to poach Texas director of recruiting Brandon Harris”

Report: Stan Drayton to take head coaching job at Temple

It appears that Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton will take the Temple head coaching position.

Over the last week, reports began to surface that Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton was in consideration to become the head football coach at Temple.

A report from Football Scoop on Wednesday indicates that Drayton will in fact accept the job as the Owls next head coach.

Drayton joined the Texas Longhorns in 2017 when Tom Herman arrived on the Forty Acres. He served as the associate head coach, running game coordinator, and running backs coach since that time. It was speculated previously that he would look at the NFL in 2020 when teams such as the Dallas Cowboys came calling.

After five seasons with the Longhorns, he will finally get his opportunity to run his own program with Temple. Drayton has worked at both the college and NFL levels as an assistant coach since 1993.

His first gig was with Allegheny College as the running backs coach. He was instrumental in developing NFL-caliber running backs such as Ezekiel Elliott, Carlos Hyde, and brought Bijan Robinson to Austin.

It is unclear as to how the Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian will address this opening once it becomes official, but promoting internally could be an option. Brandon Harris is very respected within the program.

It was recently announced by the LSU Tigers that Kevin Faulk would not be retained as their running backs coach and he could become an option as well. Faulk served in that role for his alma mater from 2020-2021. Prior to the move to an on-field assistant, Faulk served as the Director of player development from 2018-19.

Bruce Feldman lists Texas’ Stan Drayton as potential candidate for Temple head coaching job

Bruce Feldman mentioned that Texas running backs coach Stan Drayton could be a head coaching candidate for Temple.

What an absolutely wild week it has been in the college football world. Continue reading “Bruce Feldman lists Texas’ Stan Drayton as potential candidate for Temple head coaching job”

Texas RB commit Jamarion Miller “trying to learn” from Bijan Robinson

Texas commit Jamarion Miller is set to become the next great RB to come out of Austin. Until then, he will try to learn from Bijan Robinson.

If there was ever any doubt, four-star running back Jamarion Miller is the best offensive recruit Texas currently has in their 2022 class. The No. 1 running back in the state was sought after by Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M at some points.

But with Stan Drayton being Stan Drayton, he was able to lock down another elite RB prospect.

Recruiting should be “easy” for Drayton, with how well Bijan Robinson has been performing in Steve Sarkisian’s offense. In just seven games, he has rushed for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns. Heisman consideration has even been thrown around.

The Longhorn commit has been noticing the success.

After watching the Red River Shootout against Oklahoma, Miller said the Texas offense can “dominate”, especially Robinson. Being able to watch and learn from the running back has been important to the current high school senior.

“He’s a great player and I am trying to learn from him and be the best,” Miller said. “He’s very powerful, he reads the holes right, and he does everything right on the field.”

Miller proved one way he can be similar to Robinson in Texas’ offense on Friday night against Mesquite Horn — in the passing game.

Two of his three touchdowns for Tyler Legacy against Mesquite Horn came from quarterback Bruce Bruckner. One was up the middle coming out of the backfield, while the other was an impressive snag from the outside.

When asked about the second touchdown, Miller’s first reaction was to laugh in somewhat disbelief.

“I don’t know how I caught that pass,” Miller said. “I had to make a play, just do what I could do.”

Speaking of touchdown receptions, true freshman Xavier Worthy has been another weapon Miller has been watching closely. Getting on the field early and making an impact has shown recruits opportunity is there in Austin.

“That boy is out there doing great,” the four-star said with a big smile on his face. “Watching what he did against OU, that was a great game for him. Especially for him to be a freshman. Look forward to him doing better.”

Miller was not able to make it down this past weekend for the Oklahoma State matchup as he had wished. There was a personal matter to attend to. But Texas’ staff is always encouraging their soon-to-be feature back to come down for the home games.

“I’m close to mainly the offensive staff, especially Coach Sark and Coach Drayt (Stan Drayton),” Miller said. “Brandon Harris, we always communicate with each other. They are always trying to get me to go down for a game.”

Seemingly locked in on his commitment to Texas, Miller will join a loaded backfield during his freshman season. Once Robinson makes his way to the league, the opportunity for carries will be available for another bEAST Texas running back.

On the 247Sports composite, Miller is the No. 105 overall prospect and No. 9 within the state of Texas. At the running back position, the four-star ranks at No. 17.

Position outlook for Texas’ running backs

If there is a position group more solid than running back on Texas’ depth chart, please let us know. 

If there is a position group more solid than running back on Texas’ depth chart, please let us know.

Stan Drayton has done an excellent job filling his room with qualities bodies from top to bottom. Even with the departure of Keaontay Ingram to USC, the Longhorns are going to have one of the best groups in the Big 12. Only Oklahoma can compare from a depth perspective.

Everything begins and ends with Bijan Robinson. Every Texas fan knows his name but soon everyone in the country will know who he is. With questions surrounding the quarterback and wide receivers, Robinson is going to be the main guy in Steve Sarkisian’s offense. How far he can carry the load will be the only question.

From there, at least four guys could be used in game situations if needed. Roschon Johnson, Gabriel Watson, and Daniel Young are the experienced bunch, while Jonathan Brooks is a true freshman. There are plenty of options for Sarkisian at running back.

Here is the position outlook for Texas’ running backs.

Stan Drayton continues to prove his worth on Texas’ coaching staff

Stan Drayton has been nothing but a home run for Texas since 2017. Steve Sarkisian knows he had one of the best RB coaches in the country.

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.

Report: Four-star RB Jamarion Miller making an official visit to Texas

Texas still has big names flooding to ATX for official visits.

Three weekends into summer visits, Steve Sarkisian and his staff have done an excellent job showcasing their vision for the programs. Reviews have been A+ from players and parents.

With one more weekend to go, Texas still has big names flooding to ATX for official visits. A big-name running back just so happened to be added to the list.

According to Justin Wells of Inside Texas, Jamarion Miller is going to be making an official visit to Austin this weekend. The four-star running back has already seen Florida and Texas A&M officially.

Getting Miller on campus is a win amongst itself. Other running back targets were thought to be more realistic options for Stan Drayton. If whiffing and possibly burning a bridge, Texas is now going full blitz after the east Texas running back.

Texas’ running back recruitment is a bit murky right now.

Jaydon Blue is still currently committed but questions have come up about the four-star. He opted out of his senior season, wanting to prepare for college football. The first to do so at the high school level. Nobody is quite sure how Sarkisian and his staff feel about the decision.

Either way, Blue remains in the 2022 class. The search for another running back was going to continue.

De’Anthony Gatson was thought to be the guy but he ended up committing to USC on Tuesday. Although he may not have been option No. 1, it felt like a recruitment Drayton was going to win. Gatson must not have heard that Californians are coming to Austin, not Texans to Los Angeles.

Closing the gap on Miller would be big time for Texas. Even if Blue happens to cycle out of the class, Miller could easily be the headline running back. Speed on the outside is where the four-star shines, something we know Sarkisian will love.