Running backs coach, assistant head coach, and co-offensive coordinator Ja’Juan Seider was one of the longest-tenured assistants on James Franklin’s staff at Penn State, but this offseason he made a lateral move from Happy Valley to South Bend, joining Marcus Freeman’s staff at Notre Dame. Now, the Nittany Lions are looking to replace Seider, and one of the first places they turned was to Norman, Oklahoma, and a former NFL and college football star.
DeMarco Murray quickly emerged as a candidate to replace Seider on Penn State’s staff and reportedly spoke with people in Happy Valley about the opening. Hours after those reports, Murray reportedly told members of Oklahoma’s coaching staff that he has no intention to leave Norman.
Last offseason, Murray who has coached at Oklahoma since 2020, emerged as a top candidate for the same position at Ohio State, which he used as leverage for a significant raise. Murray is now the third-highest-paid running backs coach in the country, scheduled to make $850,000 next season.
After his dominant four-year career at Oklahoma, Murray played seven seasons in the NFL, rushing for a career-high 1,845 yards in 2014, his final year with the Dallas Cowboys. Murray garnered from the Cowboys in the past when they had an opening at running backs coach, and it is believed by many that if Murray leaves Oklahoma, it will be for the NFL, not Happy Valley.
If Franklin is able to convince Murray otherwise, then it would frustrate Sooners fans who believed they were going to sign defensive coordinator Jim Knowles away from Ohio State before Penn State landed him for a $3.1 million-a-year contract. It would likely take another big payday for the Nittany Lions to replace Seider with Murray, and though some still believe it’s on the table, I’d expect Penn State to go in a different direction.