The Notre Dame football team moved quickly when it suddenly needed a new running back coach and it seemingly managed to snag one of the best in the business.
In the process, the Fighting Irish are on the verge of taking one of the best assistants from a program on the rise. And a program that Marcus Freeman and company just keep taking advantage of. First the Golden Domers beat them in the playoffs. Now they’re hiring away one of their top assistants.
On Sunday morning, reports began surfacing that Notre Dame football targeted and is on the verge of hiring Penn State co-offensive coordinator, running backs coach and assistant head coach Ja'Juan Seider.
Confirming this report and adding per a source that #NotreDame is expected to make this hire. Big-time get for Marcus Freeman in replacing Deland McCullough. https://t.co/OQFL8uWaKi
— Eric Hansen (@EHansenND) February 9, 2025
Notre Dame football pulls running backs coach away from Penn State
Seider is a bit of a surprise hire considering he wasn’t among the group of candidates that were mentioned when McCullough departed for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Of course, one of the reasons the Penn State assistant wasn’t mentioned is it didn’t seem like he’d be available. However, InsideNDSports insider Eric Hansen is among those that has confirmed the Notre Dame football team has both targeted and is close to hiring Ja’Juan Seider.
Seider of course, was celebrated this past season for having a heck of a one-two punch with the Nittany Lions in Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
Both backs ran for over 1,000 yards each in 2024 and combined for 20 rushing touchdowns. Singleton added 41 catches for 375 yards and 5 touchdowns through the air.
You can’t blame Notre Dame football fans if they’re taking this news with a grain of salt. After all, the Irish were supposed to be close to hiring they’re new general manager last weekend and a week later, they’re still on the lookout.
However, despite that disappointment, and the fact that Ja’Jaun Seider has been with Penn State since 2018, this deal is reportedly all but done.