[Columbus Dispatch] Blogging the Buckeyes: Stan Drayton named to OSU staff

By TIM MAY What had been rumored for a while became fact this morning when Stan Drayton -- running backs coach at Florida and considered a stout recruiter -- was announced as the newest addition to Jim Tressel's Ohio State coaching staff. He fills the vacancy created by long-time receivers coach Darrell Hazell being named head coach at Kent State last month. Drayton, a Cleveland native and graduate of John Marshall High School there, will make the move to tutoring receivers, starting Feb.1. "Stan Drayton first and foremost is a fine person and family man," Tressel said in a statement released by the athletic department. "He is a Buckeye born and bred, and will add a tremendous dimension to our football family. We are fortunate to gain one of the finest coaches in America to serve our kids, school and community." Drayton was also the recruiting coordinator at Florida last season, and was retained by new head coach Wil Muschamp, who was hired to replace the retiring Urban Meyer in December. Drayton's resume includes being the running backs coach at three Southeastern Conference schools, including Mississippi State in 2004 and Tennessee in 2008, book-ending a previous three-year stay Florida, where he helped the Gators beats Ohio State in the 2006 national championship game. He spent the 2009 season at Syracuse before returning to Florida last year. Well-traveled, his coaching stops have included Bowling Green in 2000, Villanova from 1996-1999, Penn in 1995, Eastern Michigan in 1994) and Allegheny, his alma mater, in 1993. In between there was also a three-year run with the NFL's Green Bay Packers from 2001-03 when he was the offensive quality control coach and assisted with specal teams. Drayton has been called one of the top 25 recruiters in the country by rivals.com. He was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American at Allegheny, and part of the 1990 national championship team, while becoming the school's all-time leading rusher and scorer, and he still holds the Division III record for touchdowns scored per game (3.2 average). A 1993 graduate, he was inducted into the school's athletic hall of fame in 2005.

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