Now that Notre Dame football appears to have its replacement for Deland McCullough, it’s time to start looking at who Ja'Juan Seider might bring with him.
The Irish haven’t made the hire of Seider official just yet. And while that might make some people nervous that we’re going through another situation where a purported hire decides to stay where he is, there are no indications that the lack of announcement is about Seider staying at Penn State.
If and when Ja’Juan Seider officially joins the Notre Dame football team, there’s at least one big running back prospect in the form of Messiah Mickens Marcus Freeman will almost certainly hope the new running backs coach can bring over. Considering the reputation that Seider brings with him and the work he did to get Mickens to Penn State, it feels as if there’s at least a chance the Irish could flip him.
Notre Dame football eyeing a Penn State flip in Messiah Mickens
Mickens is a consensus 4-star prospect out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. That alone will make it plenty hard to get him away from the Nittany Lions.
247Sports laid out this in his official scouting report:
“Makes an impact in the running game and the passing game. Showed big-play ability and consistency throughout his freshman season. Has verified size with short shuttle in the low 4.3s to demonstrate his change of direction and stop-start ability. Can easily add size and strength to play at 215 pounds. Plays both sides of the ball and had spot duty in the return game. Can get to the outside but is most comfortable early in his high school career running between the tackles.”
Over his high school career, Mickens has 3,253 yards and 54 touchdowns. That includes 1,214 yards on the ground and 21 touchdowns, according to Max Preps.
It’s a safe bet that the Notre Dame football program has been working on Mickens since they got close to a yes from Seider. This will definitely be a 2026 prospect to watch over the next few months.