Texas RB coach Stan Drayton reportedly being considered for Akron head coaching role

Akron’s search for Terry Bowden’s successor has extended into Austin, Texas.

According to a report from Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman, Texas Longhorns associate head coach and run game coordinator Stan Drayton is now being considered the fill Akron’s head coaching vacancy.

An Ohio Native, Drayton’s reputation as a revered running backs coach was largely built through his work with the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2012-14, when he held develop top-tier backs such as Carlos Hyde and Ezekiel Elliott.

Drayton’s efforts in Columbus paved the way for a promotion to the NFL, where he served as the Chicago Bears’ running backs coach from 2015-16.

Following the 2016 campaign, of course, Drayton returned to the collegiate ranks, where he re-joined former Ohio State colleague Tom Herman at Texas as the associate head coach and run game coordinator/running backs coach.

Drayton’s debut on the Forty Acres, however, didn’t provide quite as much success as his previous stops. Last season, the Longhorns finished 96th nationally in rushing yards per game (139.6), and the Longhorns leading rusher was true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger, who totaled 385 yards on 114 attempts. 2018 hasn’t proven much more promising to this point. With all but the Sugar Bowl complete, the Longhorns rank 93rd in rushing yards per game (151.2), though Ehlinger has surpassed his 2017 efforts with 418 yards on 143 carriers, and far more notably, Texas’ duo of senior Tre Watson and true freshman Keaontay Ingram have combined for 1,378 yards on 300 attempts.