Ja’Juan Seider will be able to showcase his recruiting impact to Notre Dame fans very quickly against a familiar foe
After former Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough left for the Las Vegas Raiders, he left very large shoes to fill. From a coaching perspective, McCullough is arguably the best in the business. What he has done the last couple of seasons on top of his recruiting prowess has been something to see. Head […]
After former Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough left for the Las Vegas Raiders, he left very large shoes to fill. From a coaching perspective, McCullough is arguably the best in the business. What he has done the last couple of seasons on top of his recruiting prowess has been something to see.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish staff was pressed into replacing one of the best, and they may have proceeded to exceed expectations. It has been reported by multiple sources, and verified through my own, that former Penn State running back Ja’Juan Seider is expected to be hired to fill the position.
On paper, it’s tough not to be super excited about the possibilities of Seider and everything that he brings to the table. Seider is one of the very best running back coaches in all of college football, and his track record verifies that.
He has been with the Penn State program since the 2019 season, and has been instrumental in the development of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen over the last three seasons, as well as Journey Brown before his career was cut short due to a heart issue. Seider has also spent time coaching running backs at Marshall, West Virginia, and Florida before he came to Happy Valley.
As a recruiter, the reputation is also strong. Seider has been responsible for landing Singleton, Allen, Dameon Pierce, Quinton Martin Jr., Corey Smith, and Noah Cain over the years, while also being heavily involved in the recruitments of Kyle Pitts and Zane Durant. He has helped to land some fantastic football players.
With how well Notre Dame has recruited the position under McCullough, everyone should expect the standard to remain at a high level. Coach Seider could also be huge in the 2026 recruiting class to help lure aware Harrisburg (Pa.) High School running back Messiah Mickens, who remains committed to Penn State.
Even before this move became official, the Irish staff have been high on Mickens for some time now. He was arguably the top target on their board early on in this process.
Mickens is very well-liked from a recruiting rankings perspective. The Pennsylvania native is currently rated as the No. 112 overall player and No. 9 running back in the class according to the 247Sports Composite ranking. That ranking also has Mickens pegged as the No. 4 overall player in the state of Pennsylvania.
It shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Mickens has been pursued heavily by some of the top programs in college football, even while still being committed to Penn State. Some of Mickens’ top offers include the Fighting Irish, Nittany Lions, Georgia, Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, Tennessee, Miami, USC, Texas A&M, and Kentucky among many others.
Despite being just a junior last season, Mickens was named as the Mr. Football in the state of Pennsylvania. In 14 games, Mickens rushed for 1,214 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He also hauled in another 17 passes for 235 yards and two scores through the air.
Will Seider be enough to lure Mickens away in the end? Only time will be able to tell, but you can bet that he will be hearing from his former top recruiter very, very soon.
Notre Dame RB coach candidates that could replace Deland McCullough after he departed for the Las Vegas Raiders
Running back coach candidates to watch for Notre Dame.
