Penn State football: 5 candidates to replace RB coach Ja'Juan Seider, who could be headed out

Penn State football: 5 candidates to replace RB coach Ja’Juan Seider, who could be headed out

Posted by author February 10, 2025 Football

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Penn State’s running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider is expected to leave for Notre Dame.
Seider has been Penn State’s running backs coach for seven seasons.
Head Coach James Franklin will need to fill the position before spring practice.

Penn State football must now replace its longest-tenured assistant coach.

It’s been a fast-paced winter so far for head coach James Franklin and his team: They made a playoff run into January, convinced a large contingent of stars to return for the 2025 season, then hired arguably the top defensive coordinator in the nation.

They wrapped up one recruiting class, are busy building another.

Now comes replacing one of their top assistants, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, as they prepare spring practice next month. Seider, a Florida native and impressive recruiter, led arguably Penn State’s most productive position for seven seasons.

Reports say he’s expected to accept an offer to coach running backs for College Football Playoff finalist Notre Dame.

Franklin must now find the next man to lead one of the deepest running back rooms in the nation − one headlined by the starry duo of seniors Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.

Here are some potential candidates to fill the position:

Stan Drayton, former Temple head coach

Stan Drayton, 54 next month, would be one of most experienced and well-regarded for this role, if he’s willing to be a position coach again.

Drayton was fired as Temple’s head coach in November after winning just nine games over three seasons.

His running backs coaching resume is exhaustive: Most recently, he worked with them while serving as associate head coach at Texas (2017-21). Before that, he won national championships coaching running backs at Ohio State and Florida.

He also coached the position at Syracuse, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Bowling Green, Villanova and Penn. The Cleveland native got his coaching start at his alma mater, Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa.

Savon Huggins, Boston College running backs coach

Former Penn State recruit Savon Huggins just finished third season coaching running backs at Boston College.

He worked this past fall under former Nittany Lion head coach Bill O’Brien.

Huggins, 31, is considered one of the nation’s most promising young coaches. His running backs totaled more than 2,500 rushing yards in 2024 as part of the ACC’s second-best running game for the second straight season.

He arrived at Boston College as a recruiting advisor in 2021 after a brief stint as the running backs coach at Massachusetts. He was a national running back recruit, himself, choosing to play at Rutgers over Penn State and others.

Damiere Shaw, Rutgers running backs coach

Damiere Shaw, 30, is a Chester, Pa., native who’s spent the past five years on Rutgers’ staff, two in charge of running backs. He’s another young, up-and-comer in coaching circles, like Huggins.

Shaw helped Kyle Monangai to the Big Ten rushing title in 2023 (1,232 yards) and to No. 4 status last season (1,279).

He previously coached with the Carolina Panthers and at Baylor, Fordham and Temple.

Jonathan Wallace, Kansas running backs coach

Jonathan Wallace is a known commodity to Franklin and his staff.

He’s coached at Kansas for the past five years, three of them leading running backs under current Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.

During the 2023 season, Wallace mentored one of the top running back rooms in the nation, led by junior Devin Neal, an All-Big 12 pick.

Before Kansas, Wallace helped Air Force to an 11-2 record and bowl victory in 2019 as tight ends coach. He also coached receivers at Bethel and his alma mater, Auburn.

The Alabama native played quarterback and receiver at Auburn. He set a school passing efficiency record as a freshman and was a team captain as a senior.

EJ Barthel, Nebraska running backs coach

The former Rutgers and Massachusetts running back is known for his recruiting chops, especially in the Philadelphia and New Jersey areas. He worked in recruiting roles at Rutgers and Temple before a brief stint at Penn State under Franklin.

Since, he’s coached running backs at Albany, Howard, William & Mary and now Nebraska under head coach and former Nittany Lion Matt Rhule.

Barthel, 40, also worked under Rhule with the Carolina Panthers.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.