Ja’Juan Seider Earns Major Recruiting Honor

Penn State football’s Ja’Juan Seider received high praise this week, being named the top recruiter in the Big Ten according to 247 Sports. The news confirmed what many in the Lasch Building already know – Seider is one of the nation’s top recruiters.

Best in the B1G

Ja’Juan Seider earned the title of best in the Big Ten by coming in as the highest-ranked coach from the conference in 247 Sports’ top-25 recruiting rankings. The list was based on each coach’s composite recruiting rankings following the 2023 cycle.

Ranked fourth in the nation, Seider narrowly beat Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who is widely considered one of the best assistant coaches and recruiters in the country. Seider and Hartline are the only two coaches in the Big Ten to make the top-15 of the recruiter rankings.

Even further, Seider is the only Big Ten coach not on the Buckeye’s staff to crack the top-25. Kevin Wilson, who has since left Ohio State to become the head coach at Tulsa, came in at No. 22 overall. Longtime Penn State assistant Larry Johnson finished at No. 18 following this cycle.

Swiss Army Knife

Seider has long been praised for bringing high-level talent to Happy Valley. The list of names recruited by Ja’Juan Seider is now becoming longer and more distinguished with each recruiting cycle.

This past cycle was perhaps Seider’s best as a recruiter. Eight of Seider’s nine commitments in the 2023 class were four-star talents. The running backs’ coach is now labeled a “Swiss Army Knife” of recruiting, attracting talent on both sides of the ball. Some of his significant commitments in this cycle include Alex Birchmeier (OL), Tony Rojas (LB), King Mack (S), Kaveion Keys (LB), London Montgomery (RB), and Carmelo Taylor (WR).

Elite Company

In essence, Ja’Juan Seider was the best recruiter outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 2023. Three Alabama assistants rounded out the top five. This isn’t surprising, as the Crimson Tide claimed the best recruiting class in the nation in 2023.

Seider’s performance in the 2023 cycle shows what Penn State needs to do to compete in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions need elite talent and depth at all positions to challenge Ohio State and Michigan. Penn State already has this at some spots. But in 2022, we saw how wide the gap remains.

Penn State’s 2022 season exceeded the expectations of many. But to have continued success, the Nittany Lions will need to continue to recruit at a high level. Seider’s recruiting prowess has been growing for a while now. Hopefully, he can build on this success in the years to come.