Notre Dame Makes Ja’Juan Seider Hire Official

Notre Dame has made it official that its new running backs coach will be Ja’Juan Seider. We learned of this move over a week ago but now it’s official, as Seider is tasked with replacing Deland McCullough, who left this offseason to become the new RB coach for the Las Vegas Raiders. Seider has been with Penn State for the last seven seasons, and he’s coached a number of talented backs. Miles Sanders rushed for 1,274 yards (5.8 YPC) and nine touchdowns in 2018, and Nicholas Singleton rushed for 1,061 yards (6.8 YPC) and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022. That same season fellow true freshman Kaytron Allen rushed for 867 yards (5.2 YPC) and 10 touchdowns. This past season the Penn State backs were one of the nation’s best duos, along with the Notre Dame (Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price) and Ohio State (TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins) duos. Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards (6.4 YPC) and 12 touchdowns, while Allen went for 1,108 yards (5.0 YPC) and eight touchdowns. The duo also combined for 59 catches for 528 yards and seven touchdowns in the pass game.

This past season the Penn State backs were one of the nation’s best duos, along with the Notre Dame (Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price) and Ohio State (TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins) duos. Singleton rushed for 1,099 yards (6.4 YPC) and 12 touchdowns, while Allen went for 1,108 yards (5.0 YPC) and eight touchdowns. The duo also combined for 59 catches for 528 yards and seven touchdowns in the pass game. Seider has also thrived as a recruiting, with his success going beyond just the running back position, which obviously has been strong. He’s also played a role in recruiting the states of Virginia and Florida during his time with Penn State. He played a key role in Penn State landing talented defensive tackle Zane Durant (Florida), safety King Mack (Florida), linebacker Tony Rojas (Virginia) and offensive lineman Alex Birchmeier (Virginia).

Replacing a coach like McCullough with someone like Seider is certainly a big move for Freeman. Maintaining a strong coaching staff is essential to Freeman continuing the big time success they had this season, and ideally building on that. Adding Seider gives Notre Dame a tremendous opportunity to once again have one of the nation’s best backfields, but also gives them a great opportunity to continue the big time recruiting success that McCullough had with the Irish.