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Ja’Juan Seider joins Penn State football coaching staff

By Marty Leap

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field prior to the start of a game against the Washington Huskies during the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads his team onto the field prior to the start of a game against the Washington Huskies during the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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The Penn State football coaching staff once again has their full allotment of 10 full-time assistant coaches

Late last week news broke that wide receiver coach Josh Gattis would be leaving Penn State for Alabama. Today, James Franklin hired a replacement for Gattis. Joining Coach Franklin on the Nittany Lion coaching staff will be Ja’Juan Seider.

The 39-year-old Seider is a native of Belle Glade, Florida, and a 2000 graduate of Florida A&M University. Ja’Juan Seider transferred to Florida A&M after starting his collegiate playing career at West Virginia University. As a senior at Florida A&M, he threw for 2,512 yards and 27 touchdowns. He also won the Jake Gaither Award, which is the equivalent to the Heisman Trophy for HBCU schools, and was drafted in the 6th round of the 2000 NFL Draft.

After eight years of coaching high school football in talent rich South Florida, Ja’Juan Seider made the jump to the college ranks as a graduate assistant at West Virginia from 2008-2010. After spending the next two seasons as running backs coach/recruiting coordinator at Marshall University, he returned to West Virginia to coach running backs from 2013-2016.

Following the 2016 season, Seider joined Jim McElwain’s staff in Gainesville as running backs coach. New Florida coach Dan Mullen had planned to retain Seider, with him moving to tight ends coach, for the 2018 season, however, Seider is now on his way to Happy Valley instead.

While losing Josh Gattis was a big blow to the Nittany Lions both in recruiting and Xs and Os, James Franklin could not have done a much better job of replacing Gattis. Ja’Juan Seider is an excellent recruiter and has recruiting ties to fertile recruiting grounds in Florida. While at West Virginia, he was the best recruiter on the Mountaineer staff and he helped Marshall land players, such as Rakeen Cato and Kevin Grooms, who the Thundering Herd typically do not land.

According to 247 Sports, Seider was the tenth best recruiter in the SEC during the 2018 recruiting cycle. He was also the best recruiter on the Gator coaching staff. The number one priority in replacing Gattis was to land a coach who excels at recruiting the way Gattis does, and Ja’Juan Seider certainly checks that box.

Coach Seider, however, is also an excellent coach just like Josh Gattis. While at West Virginia he coached Charles Sims into a third round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and Wendell Smallwood into a fifth round selection in the 2016 draft. He also helped develop quarterback Geno Smith into a second round draft pick.

Ja’Juan Seider will coach running backs at Penn State. Due to this, the newly hired David Corley will slide from running backs coach to wide receivers coach. After the success he has had at past stops, it will be exciting to watch what Coach Seider can do with talented running backs such as Miles Sanders and Ricky Slade at Penn State.

Next: 2018 signee profile: Jayson Oweh

Ja’Juan Seider is an absolute home run hire by James Franklin. Seider is an excellent recruiter and will help bring plenty of talent to Penn State. Additionally, during his coaching career he has shown the ability to coach up talent as well.

Welcome to Happy Valley, Coach Seider!

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