Penn State is expected to lose running backs coach Stan Drayton to South Carolina, with multiple reports indicating he’s headed to Columbia after one season in Happy Valley. The move comes during Matt Campbell’s first week on the job as Penn State begins reshaping its staff. That part is no longer just smoke: South Carolina announced Drayton’s hire on Dec. 11, turning Penn State’s RB room into one of the first position spots Campbell has to replace. And with that vacancy opening immediately, a Penn State alum has already stepped in with a pointed suggestion for who should be next.

Interestingly, Drayton said he’ll coach Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl before fully transitioning to Columbia, a rare ‘coach-on-the-way-out’ wrinkle that shows how fast Campbell’s first-week overhaul is moving.

Elijah Brooks, Virginia Tech’s running backs coach since 2023, posted a farewell message on Sunday, Dec. 14, signaling he’s moving on after three seasons in Blacksburg. Patrick Poerbler of Black Shoe Diaries shared the news, writing, “Would be a fan of him joining the Penn State staff as the RB coach. Heavy ties in the DMV as the former HC at DeMatha.”

Landon Tengwall reposted his quote and expressed his interest, adding, “Would absolutely LOVE this hire. Would lock down the DMV, and he’s a great coach.”

Brooks’ farewell comes as Virginia Tech transitions its offensive staff, with national reporting indicating the Hokies are targeting Georgia Tech running backs coach Norval McKenzie for the same role. That effectively ends Brooks’ three-year run in Blacksburg. With Brooks suddenly available, Matt Campbell could consider him as a plug-and-play replacement with real recruiting juice in the DMV.

The timing matters because Virginia Tech is now in the middle of a staff reset under new head coach James Franklin, meaning assistants are being evaluated, and roles are being reshuffled quickly.

Brooks is basically DMV-made for recruiting: Virginia Tech lists him as a Largo, Maryland native and DeMatha alum, and Maryland’s bio notes he went 72–20 as DeMatha’s head coach and won four straight WCAC titles (2014–17). That’s the kind of credibility that doesn’t just ‘help’ recruiting, it opens doors.

On the other hand, he has 19 years of coaching experience and has helped Maryland and Virginia Tech reach the Bowl Games for four straight seasons from 2021 to 2024. On the field, Brooks’ units have been part of bowl-level programs, and his résumé includes four straight bowl seasons coached (2021–24) across Maryland and Virginia Tech.

He also developed some of the NFL star running backs during his time at Maryland, including Anthony McFarland (Pittsburgh Steelers), Javon Leake (NY Giants), Jake Funk (LA Rams), and Tayon Fleet-Davis (Kansas City Chiefs).

While Tengwall is pushing the idea of a Virginia Tech assistant like Brooks, Campbell has largely begun his Penn State rebuild with familiar faces.

Matt Campbell adds Iowa State coaches to PSU

Matt Campbell has been building out his staff quickly, and early signs point to heavy Iowa State continuity. On Dec. 13, Penn State announced the first staff changes under the Campbell era that include multiple colleagues from Iowa State. Sports Illustrated noted that nine of the 10 staff additions Campbell announced have Iowa State ties, basically an instant culture transplant.

Taylor Mouser will be the new OC of Penn State, who spent the past two seasons as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator. Mouser has been on the Iowa coaching staff since 2016 and was promoted to the offensive staff in 2019. He also coached Iowa State’s tight ends for five seasons and was named FootballScoop’s 2025 national tight ends coach of the year.

Ryan Clanton will be the OL coach, who served at Iowa State for three seasons as OL coach and was the run-game coordinator for two. In 2024, he helped Iowa State attain 25 rushing touchdowns, which is the fourth-highest total in school history. The school also averaged 160 yards rushing per game in 2024, which was 119 in the previous season.

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Deon Broomfield will be joining Penn State as the new secondary coach. He coached safeties at Iowa State for five years. He joins a defensive staff where Anthony Poindexter already held co-defensive coordinator duties, and Campbell is now stacking experience in the secondary. Broomfield has also served as Iowa State’s passing game coordinator for the past three seasons.