Former Assistant Ja’Juan Seider Is Official to Notre Dame

Penn State football named Stan Drayton as its new running backs coach before Notre Dame made its hire official. But the Fighting Irish finally did so Tuesday, announcing Ja’Juan Seider as its new running backs coach and associate head coach. Seider held titles of assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator at Penn State, where he spent the last seven seasons.

“Ja’Juan is a great offensive mind,” Freeman said of Seider in a statement announcing the hire. “He has coached multiple offensive positions, but his ability to recruit and develop high level running backs is exceptional. His experience utilizing multiple running backs effectively within the offense and
simultaneously turning them into NFL talent is one of several reasons why he is a great fit for our program.”

Seider spent seven years at Penn State, where he mentored running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, who both returned for their fourth seasons. They expected Seider to be there with them during their final seasons at Penn State. In fact, all of Penn State’s backs were surprised with Seider’s decision.

“At the end of the day, he’s got to do what’s best for him and his family, and I completely respect his decision,” running back Quinton Martin Jr. said during a recent media availability. “Yeah, honestly it did catch me off guard a little bit. It did, because I thought he was going to stay, but it’s a business and whatever is best for him.”

Added running back Corey Smith, “It’s a business, and people have to do what’s best for themselves. And I know he recruited us, and I appreciate him for recruiting us, but at the end of the day he’s got to do what’s best for his family.”

Penn State coach James Franklin moved quickly in hiring Drayton, the former Temple head coach who has 25 years of experience coaching running backs in college and the NFL. Before announcing the hire, Franklin said that Penn State had “arguably the most attractive running back job in the country,” considering the talent it returns at the position. Penn State currently has seven scholarship running backs in the program, including 1,000-yard rushers in Singleton and Allen.

RELATED: What to know about Stan Drayton, Penn State’s new running backs coach

“Ja’Juan Seider, after being with us for seven years, did a great job for us and we’re very appreciative of Ja’Juan and his family,” Franklin said before Drayton’s hiring became official. “His son [Jaden] played for us and was part of our program for a long time. [Seider] has moved on, and we wish him nothing but the best. Again, seven years. In some ways it’s a shame that in college football, that that’s a long time, but he gave our program and our community seven years and did a really good job for us, so we’re appreciative of that.”

Franklin called Drayton an “important addition” to the program. Drayton won two national championships as a coach, with Ohio State and Florida, and one as a player at Division III Allegheny. Drayton has coached top-tier talent like Ezekiel Elliott, Bijan Robinson and Brian Westbrook.

“I am excited and honored to be joining this elite organization led by Coach Franklin,” Drayton said in a statement. “I have so much respect for the culture and program he has built here. Penn State has a rich running back tradition and a very talented running back room now. I am thrilled for this opportunity and am looking forward to getting to work.”

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