Everything Notre Dame RBs coach Ja'Juan Seider said during spring practice

Notre Dame running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider spoke to the media Friday after Fighting Irish spring practice. Here’s everything he said.

On his first couple practices at Notre Dame

“It’s going smooth. Our biggest thing with the guys, I tell them just go play. Don’t count reps. Make the reps count. And that’s kind of been our motto. Because when you when you do that, you have improvement. If you worry about stuff that you can’t control, your mind drifts off to somewhere negative. And right now, we don’t need to be that way. We don’t play Miami until the end of August. It’s about daily deposit, getting better 1% every day. And that’s kind of what I’ve been challenging them to just complete buy in. I think the guys are doing a great job of that.

On working through what all of the Notre Dame tailbacks need to improve upon the most

“I think it’s always you learn the players. You learn do they see their blind sides. But it also was a great way to make them talk to me, to make them open up and feel comfortable, vulnerable for that moment in a world where it’s hard to be vulnerable in a gladiator sport. But it also allowed me to understand how they’ve been coached, too. Maybe we stay the same, maybe we’re different a little bit on some things that have been taught before.

“So, it’s a way for us to grow together. Like I told them, it’s a player’s game. It’s not about me. It’s about them. How can I make you better? I’m here to serve you in the capacity to help you grow. I had my moment. I played at  every level. I can’t play no more. This knee ain’t good anymore. So how can I get you guys ready to play at a higher level than we played last year? Because for us to go where we want to go, the running back room has to play even better. Because you have to be able to run the ball in those championship moments.

“So, we’re talking about how do we get improved? How do we challenge ourselves? And that’s where our mindset gotta go. Watch more film. The good thing is you’ve been coached a certain way. Now you get to be coached a little bit different. Maybe that can be a differentiator for you going into games, seeing stuff a little bit different. That’s been the fun part working with the guys.”

On if he gets the sense the Notre Dame tailbacks are trying to impress him from the start

“Well, it’s hard to say that. I’m all about being yourself, being authentic to who you are. Like don’t try to be something you’re not. Because when that happens, you can’t play the way you need to play. You’re pressing. You’re trying to do that. Listen, I’ve been doing this long enough. I’ve been a great evaluator of talent. So many kids I recruited have been coached at a high level. All you gotta do is play.

“I think the best part that happened is I recruited a lot of these guys here. We got a chance to play in that game. Good players respect good players. They saw the way the guys I coached played, and the way they played. So, it was a mutual respect coming in here. They knew the level of how they were going to be coached was not going to drop off. That’s been the good buy-in for the room.

On divvying up responsibilities in a running back room

“I don’t even worry about that right now. Don’t worry about the reps. Make the reps count. That’s kind of been my motto. The best players will separate. Or it could be even, right? But we kind of know we gotta dude that’s pretty different here. We got another guy that played a lot of reps. You also got to play to their strength. If your kid can’t do this, don’t make him do that. And that’s what we got to do a good job throughout the week game planning. That’s not going to go into a game playing five running backs. That’s impossible. That’s not going to happen. I did one time with four, and that was hard. You can play with three, because you can do some things.

“And really it kind of goes to who we are. Who’s the Notre Dame of ‘25? Who are we? Are we going to be 12 (personnel)? 21? 11? 10? We haven’t even decided that road yet. We got some guys that can do a lot of things, that can catch the ball and play out the backfield, so we’ll take advantage of those strengths. That’d be a way to get two guys on the field. It’s just about trying to get better today and not worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow.

On what he’s learned about Jeremiyah Love

“He’s got elite traits. He’s got elite speed. He’s got elite ball skills. He’s got elite short-area quickness. He’s got elite vision. So, use that recipe for success. You can never get enough of blocking. They’re gonna block, because I’m an ex-quarterback. You gotta protect that guy. For me to help him reach his goals and where he want to go, I got to find all his areas as a runner, as a blocker and a catcher. And we also gotta play to his strength.

“He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever seen run routes. I had a couple guys like this in my past life at West Virginia that we can do things with him. Not just use him in the backfield, use him in a different space. The best thing that can happen to a running back is if a linebacker gotta go out there and cover him. That’s a win that we have to win, and as coaches, we’ll do a good job of trying to create those matchups for the kid.”

On Gi’Bran Payne coming back from his injury

“You could never tell he was hurt. I told him I got a couple guys I call them the easy button. He just does everything right. He’s gonna be in the right fit on pro protection. He’s gonna be on the right read keys. He’s gonna know where he supposed to fit in the pass game. You can tell he’s a vet. So as far as the injury, we don’t even talk about it. You couldn’t even tell he had an injury. There’s nothing that shows he’s lacking in this area over that area. And there’s no limitation in practice. He can take every rep.”

On recruiting Payne

“If you recruit kids at Notre Dame, you probably recruit them at Penn State, you probably recruit them at Georgia. I mean, they were all high-level guys. So, when you sorting through it … . At Penn State that year, when he came out, we were going to take two running backs. Well, I don’t ever go into a recruiting year and say, ‘All right, these are the two guys on the board. These two guys we’re gonna get.’ Everybody wants them. If you go in with a short board, you’re probably gonna be shortsighted and change.

“So that year, he was in the same class with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. So, it just came down to a number game. Who you can get and who you couldn’t get. Because that year, I had to turn on a lot of guys. The Quinshon Judkins kid wanted to come to Penn State. So, you have your board. You build it. And to me, I’m going to try to go get the best players that can help us win, gonna help Notre Dame win.

“That pecking order, I want to try to have at least 8-10 guys that I feel like can give us a chance. I don’t care what you rank from 1-10, because your 10 shouldn’t be that different from your one. I look for good traits that can fit our offense and help us play. I can build, I can mold you to where I feel like if you’re tough, have short-area quickness and you’re willing to be a great teammate, we can fix the rest of it. In that year we took at that time, Nick Singleton was the number one back in the country. Kaytron Allen was right behind him.”

On Notre Dame also wanting Singleton

“I know. He actually was about to commit here, and I got him on the phone as soon as he was leaving Coach Kelly’s office.”

On coaching players in the spring who also need to rest

“It is, because I never experienced it on this level as a coach. But I think it’s necessary. I’ve been very impressed with how we’re doing things here. Because we got all this money we place in sports science, and we don’t use the information. We use it to our advantage, because sometimes the only person who knows that is the sports scientist and the head coach. Maybe the assistant knows. But it’s been a unique approach the way Marcus has really bought in to listen to the information. We keep saying it’s a player’s game, not a coach’s game.

“So, if our job as a coach is to take care of the players and make sure they’re ready for the season, then we gotta do what’s best for them right now. But if you really think about it, we are a semi-pro team right now. Well, guess what the pros do? They’re doing exactly what we’re doing. OTAs is this. You’re still getting the reps you need. You’re still getting the work you need and the volume you need, and now you can be smart to take care of these kids. I’m big on taking care of the players. In our drills, every running back is going to run and cut. Well, that’s ligaments, that’s muscles. That stuff adds up.

“So, you gotta be smart and take advantage of opportunities when you can take care of them. I still coach like I’m an ex-player. Your body only got so many reps in it, so you gotta be able to recover from it. Because that’s when all the soft tissue (injuries) happen. We’re the only sport that’s guaranteed 12 games a year and goes year-round. You think about that for a minute, and we play the most physical sport there is. So, I’m good that we’re finally starting to take care of the players the right way and still get the work you need out of it.”

On wanting to play more than 12 games but also wanting to be fresh

“Yeah, but I’m just saying. Because everybody does it, whether you’re a good team or bad team. You’re still going through the process. You just may not have the Jimmies and Joes that we have. And so that’s the difference.”

On coaching a 16-game season at Penn State last year

“It was long. The guys that took care of their players and the staff the best — because nobody talks about the staff. You have to be rested, because your mind gotta be sharp. A lot of times you forget about the coaches and the other people that work in the building. So, you gotta manage all that — the travel — to gear the kids up to go play.

“It was an awesome experience to go through it. It’s one of them things you’re never gonna forget, because you don’t take for granted the games you won, even the games you lost. That game took forever to get over, because we hadn’t lost a game — now I’m speaking being at the other on the other side of it. Lost the game that way where we won the rushing battle, the turnover battle and lose that game on a walk-off field goal. You’ve been on the other side of that. I know for me, I couldn’t sleep for a week. And it affected my family, because they were into it too. You get that close.

“Then you talk to Free after the game, and we talked about maybe some things about what you felt about Ohio State. I was pulling for those guys to win, because weren’t playing in it. I hope I experience that again next year. It was awesome. I thought the Orange Bowl, it felt like a championship aspect. The fans were awesome. That atmosphere was awesome. And our job is to get back there next year.”