Notre Dame announces hire of former Penn State assistant Ja’Juan Seider; what’s his title with the Irish?

Notre Dame has now officially announced that it is hiring former Penn State assistant Ja’Juan Seider. He replaces Deland McCullough, who left for the NFL earlier this offseason. Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin addressed the running back coach’s departure during his winter news conference earlier this month.

“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. “His son played for us, and was part of our program for a long time—you know, 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.”

Seider’s new titles at Notre Dame are associate head coach and running backs coach. He came to Penn State in 2018. He started out as just the running backs coach. In 2020, he added the run game coordinator title. In 2022, he was elevated to co-offensive coordinator. And, before the 2023 season, he added the title of assistant head coach.

“Ja’Juan is a great offensive mind,” said Notre Dame Dick Corbett Head Football Coach Marcus Freeman. “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.”

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Penn State coaching staff turnover

Penn State hired Stan Drayton to be Seider’s replacement. He is just the third running backs coach of the James Franklin era. And, he is the second new assistant coach hire of the Nittany Lions’ offseason, joining Jim Knowles. He, of course, replaced Tom Allen.

“Stan Drayton brings decades of experience coaching running backs at the highest levels to our program,” Franklin said in a news release. “He is an important addition to our staff. His experience as a head coach and working alongside elite backs in his career will be invaluable to our running backs room. I am so excited to welcome Stan and his family, including his wife, Monique, and daughters, Amari and Anaya, to Happy Valley.”

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