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Notre Dame reportedly targeting Penn State assistant Ja’Juan Seider for RBs coach
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Notre Dame is nearing a move to bring Penn State co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider to South Bend to coach the Fighting Irish tailbacks, according to multiple reports.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported the development Sunday morning. Seider, also an assistant head coach with the Nittany Lions, has been a key part of James Franklin’s staff since 2018. He’ll replace Deland McCullough, who left for a job in the NFL earlier this week.
ND coach Marcus Freeman moved quickly to find McCullough’s replacement, and he nabbed a highly-regarded assistant. Seider is well-liked in Penn State circles. He coached Miles Sanders, a 2019 second-round NFL Draft pick. He then recruited and developed Nic Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Those 2, who return to Penn State in 2025, are regarded as the top running back tandem in the country. They ran for 1,928 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2022. This past season, the duo combined for 2,207 yards and 20 touchdowns.
In South Bend, Seider will have one of the best athletes in the country under his tutelage in Jeremiyah Love.
The sophomore tailback ran for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns during the 2024 campaign. He enters the 2025 season as a darkhorse candidate to win the Heisman Trophy, with +4500 odds at FanDuel.
Seider has also coached running backs at Florida (2017), West Virginia (2013-16), and Marshall (2010-12). Charles Sims (2014) and Wendell Smallwood (2016) were NFL Draft selections who played for Seider in Morgantown.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
