SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame football has moved quickly to fill the significant void at running backs coach.
Ja’Juan Seider, who spent the last seven seasons at Penn State, is expected to be hired as the replacement for Deland McCullough, a source confirmed Sunday morning.
ESPN had the first report linking Seider, 47, to the opening created by McCullough’s recent return to the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders. McCullough, also Notre Dame’s associate head coach in 2024, spent three seasons in South Bend.
Seider also held the titles of assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions, who rushed for 204 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-27 Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 9.
Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen each rushed for more than 80 yards in that College Football Playoff semifinal, with Singleton scoring three touchdowns.
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Under Seider’s direction, the Singleton-Allen timeshare has wreaked havoc in the Big Ten the past three seasons. Penn State finished 17th nationally last season with 5.26 yards per carry, 10 spots behind Notre Dame (5.66).
Both programs ranked in the top 10 in rushing touchdowns. Penn State finished ninth with 35 ground scores, while Notre Dame, aided by dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard’s 17 rushing touchdowns, finished third with 45.
The Irish return their top three running backs in 2025: Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams. Former Penn State graduate transfer Devyn Ford, who played for Seider with the Nittany Lions, is the only subtraction.
Former Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker, now head coach at Troy, coached wideouts on the same coaching staff as Seider at Marshall (2011-12) and Penn State (2019).
During his time in Happy Valley, Seider worked under an array of offensive coordinators, including Andy Kotelnicki (2024), Mike Yurcich (2021-23), Kirk Ciarrocca (2020) and Ricky Rahne (2018-19).
A decorated dual-threat quarterback during his playing career at West Virginia and Florida A&M, Seider was a sixth-round draft choice of the San Diego Chargers in 2000. He won the Jake Gaither and Doug Williams awards in 1999 after dominating the MEAC.
Before linking up with coach James Franklin at Penn State, Seider coached running backs at Florida (2017), West Virginia (2013-16) and Marshall (2010-12), serving as recruiting coordinator for the Gators and the Thundering Herd.
A 2017 inductee of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame, Seider spent seven seasons (2001-07) coaching at the high school level in Palm Beach County, including Glades Central in his hometown of Belle Glade, Fla.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Source: Notre Dame football expected to hire RB coach Ja’Juan Seider
