BREAKING: Notre Dame officially announces hire of former Penn State assistant coach

James Franklin confirmed last week that Penn State needed to fill a vacancy at running backs coach following longtime assistant Ja’Juan Seider’s decision to leave the program.

Despite reports of his hiring at Notre Dame, Seider’s name remained in Penn State’s staff directory for some time. However, the Fighting Irish have now officially announced his addition to their coaching staff. Along with coaching running backs, Seider will take on the role of associate head coach.

Notre Dame stated in a release on Tuesday that Seider’s hiring will be finalized once the university’s standard employment process is complete.

“Ja’Juan is a great offensive mind,” said head coach Marcus Freeman. “He has experience coaching multiple offensive positions, but his ability to recruit and develop elite running backs is outstanding. His track record of effectively utilizing multiple backs in an offense while preparing them for the NFL makes him a great fit for our program.”

Seider spent seven seasons at Penn State, departing with one of the top running back groups in the country for 2025, led by Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. He played a key role in the Nittany Lions’ recruiting efforts, particularly in Florida, and also served as assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.

To fill his vacancy, Penn State hired Stan Drayton, the former head coach at Temple, last Friday.