Two of Penn State football’s youngest running backs addressed their future plans Tuesday afternoon. Playing behind two star tailbacks is often a contributing factor in an RB entering the transfer portal.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — In the days after the Orange Bowl, Penn State’s players gathered on campus for a team meeting. At that point in January, they found out defensive coordinator Tom Allen was leaving for Clemson and that James Franklin would do his part to hire the best candidate he could. The team’s season had just ended three days prior.

With the move of Ja’Juan Seider to Notre Dame, Penn State RB commit Messiah Mickens is thinking about flipping to the Irish.

Penn State’s James Franklin has turned to a longtime coach who has a wealth of experience coaching running backs to oversee the Nittany Lions’ backfield in 2025, per report. Stan Drayton, most recently the former head coach at Temple,

Seider heads to the Irish after serving as Penn State’s running backs coach, assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator.

James Franklin reportedly must hire yet another top assistant coach. Here are possible candidates to replace longtime running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider.

Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider leaving for Notre Dame came as a surprise to many — including the players he recruited and coached in Happy Valley.

Seider has been Penn State's running backs coach for seven years and is among the team's top recruiters.