Penn State football commit responds to departure of key assistant

On Sunday, news broke that Penn State football running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider is expected to leave the Nittany Lions staff for the same role at Notre Dame. A long-time assistant and one of the top recruiters in the country, James Franklin must now forge ahead with filling Seider’s position and instilling confidence in his impending choice among recruits.

Chief among those recruits is 2026 running back commit Messiah Mickens. The longest-standing commitment among the Nittany Lions’ 2026 recruiting class recently commented on Seider’s departure, posting a picture of the pair together on social media on Monday night.

My guy🤞🏽 pic.twitter.com/qc2j4i1ryJ

— Messiah Mickens (@Messiah_1M) February 11, 2025

Mickens originally committed to Penn State football in August 2023 and shut down his recruitment in January. However, the four-star prospect and top-10 running back in the cycle picked up an offer from Notre Dame last April.

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With his primary recruiter seemingly on his way to South Bend, many have speculated whether Mickens will reopen his recruitment—whether publicly or behind closed doors.

While Seider’s departure was reported Sunday morning, the move hasn’t been made official almost 48 hours later. As of Tuesday morning, Seider remains listed as the Nittany Lions running backs coach on the Penn State football directory. Seider is the second longest-serving assistant on James Franklin’s staff, entering his seventh year with the program.

Whatever his status may be, some light will hopefully be shed on the situation later today. Franklin will meet with the media on Tuesday afternoon, the first time he’s made public comments since the news surfaced earlier this week.

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