When Sylvester Croom took the head coaching job at Mississippi State, he brought one man with him from the Green Bay Packers. That man now coaches at the University of Florida.
Stan Drayton left the Bulldogs in January, less than two months after State finished its 3-8 2004 season. He served only one season as MSU’s running backs coach but spent the three seasons prior to that as a special teams assistant for the Packers, becoming fast friends with Croom.
“Stan and I had a good relationship, we’re good friends,” Croom said. “He’s a very good coach, and I hated to lose him.”
Drayton is in his 13th year as a football coach, after graduating from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Despite his years in the NFL, Drayton is no stranger to the college ranks, logging early career stops as running backs coach at both Bowling Green State and Villanova.
At Bowling Green, he served under current Florida head coach Urban Meyer, who added him to his staff once he took the Gators’ coaching position. The Gators’ athletic budget is almost three times larger than Mississippi State’s.
“Basically, he left for more money,” Croom said, “But this is a business, and I can’t blame a man doing what he has to do for himself and for his family.”
When he was hired away from the Packers to MSU, Drayton commented that when you find a coach of Croom’s integrity, it would be wise to follow him. Drayton, in an interview last season, said that Croom was like a father to him.
One year later he will be across the sidelines, sharing enemy secrets with a team that will be looking to avenge its embarrassing loss to the Bulldogs last season. Despite Drayton’s familiarity with his system, Croom said he has no changes planned.
“He knows it all, but that’s not a concern,” Croom said. “It’s just a matter of lining up and executing on the field.”
All things considered, Saturday’s match-up in Gainesville looms large for both squads. Mississippi State, in the midst of a two-game losing streak, is still looking for its first SEC win of the campaign. The Gators are coming off a 31-3 decimating loss to Alabama and will be looking to right their season’s ship before it strays too far off of its New Year’s Day course.
Croom remains positive about his relationship with the departed Drayton, but he will put off his warm wishes until another day.
“We’re friends,” Croom said, “But we aren’t going to be friends on Saturday.”