James Franklin thought he was cooking. Fresh off an embarrassing Playoff L to Notre Dame, the man hit the recruiting trail hard, stacking his coaching staff with elite minds. First, he bagged Jim Knowles—fresh off a natty with Ohio State—for a cool $3.1 million. Then, just last week, he pulled in Temple HC and legendary RB whisperer Stan Drayton. It looked like Penn State was about to be on some demon time for 2025. But hold up—because not everything is as sweet as it seems. Turns out, this ‘blessing’ might be a whole darn curse. And a Penn State insider just confirmed it with a blunt reality check.
On February 18, PSU insider Zach Seyko chopped it up with Happy Valley publisher and Heisman voter Richie O’Leary on ‘Locked in On Nittany Lions’. And when Seyko pressed about Drayton’s one-year deal, O’Leary didn’t sugarcoat a thing. “Stan Drayton signing the one-year deal, it—it is a little concerning, Richie.” Seyko admitted before breaking down the whole situation. Drayton finna about to collect a nice little check from Temple after getting canned, which means he doesn’t need to lock in long term at Penn State. “I also believe that a running backs coach position is beneath Stan Drayton at this point,” Seyko added. And O’Leary? Man, he doubled down.
“When you’re gonna get paid to basically do nothing from Temple, it’s like, ‘Okay, great,’” O’Leary explained. “So you don’t want to really mess up those numbers there—you do the one-year deal and then go from there. Maybe he re-signs another one-year deal after that. Maybe it turns into a three-year deal after that because he’s so comfortable at Penn State. He won a national championship at this point—who knows? We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but that’s part of the deal.” Translation? Drayton’s keeping his options open. Let’s be real: with his resume, the man is gonna be fielding calls left and right. And if Penn State crushes it this year, he might just stick around and extend his contract, especially if they win the natty.
But if we are real, the chances of that happening are pretty low. See, we’re talking about the RB coach who literally taught Ezekiel Elliott to cook, turned Bijan Robinson into a mythical creature, and had Carlos Hyde looking like a human highlight reel and all juiced up. That’s 20-plus years of cooking up elite RBs, and now he’s got certified dawgs in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. Man, that backfield ‘bout to be straight-up filthy. Ain’t gonna lie, but if Penn State smashes expectations, Drayton’s phone’s gonna be ringing off the hook—from the NFL, from top-tier programs, you name it. And then? Poof. He’s gone.
This is exactly why some folks see Franklin’s big-time hire as a double-edged sword. Yeah, he secured one of the best RB coaches in the game. But if Drayton dips after 1 season, then what? Franklin’s already dealing with near-death expectations heading into 2025. With reloaded staff, a Heisman candidate at QB, and a squad that’s stacked at nearly every position. It’s natty-or-bust energy in Happy Valley.
If James Franklin ends up losing Drayton after just 1 year would be a serious L, especially if Penn State’s ground game goes crazy under his watch. Franklin might’ve thought he hit the jackpot, but now? It’s looking like a temporary flex at best if he doesn’t lock in for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, there’s another storm brewing in Happy Valley—one that could throw a wrench in Penn State’s offseason plans.
James Franklin and Nittany Lions’ Penn State spring game uncertainty
Earlier this month, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule made headlines by hinting that some programs might cancel their spring games over concerns about players getting poached. And now? Some insiders think Penn State might be in that mix.
On Monday, Franklin addressed the situation, confirming that Penn State still plans to hold its annual Blue-White Game—but with some adjustments. “We will still have the spring game because I know what it means to this community and the hotels and the bars and the restaurants and the tailgating and all of it,” Franklin stated. But he also hinted that key veterans might be taking it easy. “If we modify spring ba-l, then all these guys that are fighting for jobs and need to be evaluated and need to be developed, they’re losing it and they need it,” he added. So, expect fewer reps for certified stars and more spotlight on the younger guys.
The Blue-White Game is ON for April 26, but with the transfer portal madness we’ve seen lately, Franklin’s gotta tread carefully. Some programs are tweaking their spring setups entirely to avoid showcasing talent that could get snatched up by NIL-loaded programs. Penn State is still going ahead with their traditional format—for now—but best believe they’ll be watching their roster like hawks to make sure no key pieces get lured away.
End of the day, Franklin’s playing a high-stakes gamble. He made bold moves, bringing in Knowles and Drayton, but now he’s gotta keep the house in order. With Drayton possibly being a 1-year rental, roster poaching concerns are on the rise. Penn State’s got some serious challenges ahead. The talent is there. The coaching upgrades are undeniable. But will it all come together in 2025? Or will James Franklin’s blessing really turn into a full-blown curse?
The post James Franklin’s Blessing Turns Into Curse as PSU Insider’s Blunt Stan Drayton Revelation Confirms Woes Amid Spring Game Uncertainty appeared first on EssentiallySports.
