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Tim Hyde on Notre Dame hiring Ja'Juan Seider: 'You lose an elite coach, you replace him with one'

Singer headshotby:Mike Singer•about 23 hours•

MikeTSinger

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Penn State assistant coach Ja'Juan Seider (Credit: Daniel Althouse/BWI)

Notre Dame lost one of the best running backs coaches in college football when Deland McCullough took the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders a few weeks ago. But by all accounts, Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish are replacing McCullough with another one of the top running backs coaches in the sport.

While it’s not been made official yet by the university, Notre Dame is expected to hire Penn State’s Ja’Juan Seider for the opening. On Thursday, Seider posted a picture from a plane overlooking Notre Dame Stadium, signaling that he’s joining the staff.

And Penn State head coach James Franklin announced the departure of Seider during a press conference Tuesday.

“Ja’Juan Seider, after being with us for seven years, did a great job for us, has moved on,” Franklin said, according to Blue White Illustrated. “We wish him nothing but the best.

“In some way, it’s a shame that seven years is a long time,” Franklin said. “But gave our program and our community seven years and did a really good job for us. So, we’re appreciative of that.”

Blue & Gold football analyst Tim Hyde spoke about the Irish hiring Seider during a live show with host Mike Singer, and it’s safe to say that he’s pleased with the news.

“You do background research on the guy, and he’s a lot like Deland McCullough with regards to them having massive aspirations to be head coaches,” Hyde said. “McCullough has interviewed, and Seider has interviewed for some jobs for the last few years. That was interesting to dive into his background.

“You look at some of the running backs he’s gotten, and sure enough, Notre Dame offered a bunch of them. They got a great one in 2026 [Messiah Mickens], and Nick Singleton was a five-star.

“He’s a heck of a ball coach. He’s a big Florida recruiter which is very interesting. That’s been an Achilles heel for Notre Dame, so to speak. It hasn’t been as much recently though; they’ve been making more inroads.”

“It’s exciting. You lose an elite ball coach and you replace him with the same caliber of background, history and production from his running backs.”

According to PFF’s Max Chadwick, Penn State returns the No. 3 and No. 6 running backs in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, respectively. For what it’s worth, his new star back, Jeremiyah Love is No. 1 on that list.

“If Notre Dame has the best running back room in the country, then Penn State is No. 2 … Both rooms are loaded,” Hyde added.

Hyde also brought up the coaching crossover between Seider and current Troy head coach Gerad Parker, who has plenty of history with Freeman. Parker, of course, worked at Notre Dame from 2022-23 as well.

Seider and Parker worked together at Marshall from 2011-12 and Penn State in 2019. It’s very possible that their connection was a launching point for Notre Dame and Seider, given that Parker and Freeman are considered to be close friends.

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