BALTIMORE, Md. -- Stan Clayton is the newest member of the Morgan State football staff. He was named offensive line coach this past May.

Clayton, a former Penn State national champion and NFL player, has a resume that contains nearly two decades of coaching experience with offensive lines.

"We are very excited to add Stan Clayton to our offensive staff," said Morgan State head coach Fred T. Farrier. "His experience developing offensive lines will be a huge asset to our program. He has played at the highest levels of college and professional football and he is a coach who truly cares about the individuals he coaches."

"Stan has coached at several high academic institutions and that background with balancing academics and football will be a great asset for our program. I can't wait for him to get started coaching and mentoring our players."

Clayton joins Morgan State after spending eight seasons (2009-2016) at Lafayette where he was the offensive line coach under head coach Frank Tavani. During his final season, the Leopards ranked as high as third in the Patriot League in pass offense (266.6), fifth in total offense (336.5) and fifth in sacks against (38).

In 2015, Clayton used six different starting lineups that included two freshmen as full-time starters at center and right guard, and a sophomore at the right tackle spot. At one point, injuries forced the Leopards to move a player from his defensive tackle position over to offensive guard, where he started two games.

2014 was also a challenging year for Clayton who used seven different starting lineups in 11 games. A season-ending injury to a four-year starter forced the Leopards to shuffle players during the stretch run, using six different tackles during the season. Clayton's patchwork effort came together on the biggest stage, opening holes for 309 rushing yards against Lehigh in the 150th meeting in Yankee Stadium. 

In 2013, Clayton worked with an offensive line that returned all five starters. The results on the rushing attack and passing game were striking. Lafayette had a player rush for 1,000 yards for the first time since 2006. In the air, the Leopards set new single-season records for completions and passing yards. In that returning five, Clayton produced an All-Patriot League First-Team and a Second-Team selection, while another player racked up a host of scholar-athlete awards, including a CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team selection. 

In 2011, Clayton managed a line that featured an All-Patriot League First-Team honoree, who started every game his final three seasons and he coached two All-Patriot League Second-Team selections in 2010.

Clayton came to College Hill after three seasons at Toledo where he coached a 2008 NFL third-round draft pick, John Greco, and led the offensive line to a No. 2 ranking in the Mid-American Conference and a No. 19 ranking in the nation for fewest sacks allowed (16) in 2007. The Toledo offense led the MAC in rushing and total offense and was second in scoring during that season. 

He also spent six years at Princeton as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. While with the Tigers, he coached Ross Tucker and Dennis Norman, both of whom went on to spend at least seven years in the NFL. 

Clayton graduated from Penn State in 1988 with a degree in Administration of Justice and a minor in Business Law. While at Penn State, he was a member of the 1986 national championship team and a 1987 All-America honorable mention. 

He was a 10th-round selection of the Atlanta Falcons in the 1988 draft and played for the next four years in the NFL with Atlanta (1988-89), New England (1990-91) and Pittsburgh (1992). 

After his NFL career, the Cherry Hill, N.J. native returned to Penn State as an assistant coach in 1995 for one year before serving stints at Massachusetts and Alabama State. He also spent six summers participating in the NFL's minority coaching fellowship program with Chicago, New York (Giants), Philadelphia and Tennessee.

Clayton is married to the former Kathleen Griffin.

Morgan State opens the 2017 season at Towson on Sept. 2 and the home-opener at Hughes Stadium will be against Albany on Sept. 9.
 
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