Four weeks ago, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen announced they were returning to Penn State for their senior seasons. Entering 2025, the Nittany Lions appeared poised to return the main pieces of a running back room that figures to rank among the nation’s best.
But the outlook was altered Sunday when news broke that Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who also added the titles of assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator during his seven-year tenure, was leaving for the same position at Notre Dame.
The timing of the move exactly a month after the season ended in the Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals and with the top two players in his position group having already made public commitments to return in 2025 raised some eyebrows. It caught some Nittany Lions by surprise, too.
“It honestly did catch me off guard a little bit,” running back Quinton Martin Jr. said Tuesday afternoon. “It did because I thought he was going to stay but it’s a business and it’s whatever is best for him.”
“I definitely was surprised,” running back Corey Smith said later in the day. “But you just got to move on with life, really.”
Martin and Smith were speaking at a media availability for members of Penn State’s Class of 2024. Since the Nittany Lions don’t make freshmen available to the media — though they were required to be made available before the Fiesta Bowl in late December — Tuesday marked the first on-campus media sessions for Martin and Smith at Pegula Ice Arena.
Tuesday’s availability also provided more immediate insight into the thought processes of Martin and Smith, both of whom were four-star recruits who redshirted as true freshmen in 2024.
Earlier Tuesday, coach James Franklin provided confirmation during a news conference that Seider was leaving Penn State.
“Ja’Juan Seider, after being with us for seven years — did a great job for us, very appreciative of Ja’Juan and his family, his son played for us, was part of our program for a long time — has moved on, and we wish him nothing but the best,” Franklin said during his opening statement. “Again, seven years. In some ways, it’s a shame that in college football, that’s a long time, but [he] gave our program and our community seven years and did a really good job for us. So we’re appreciative of that.”
Smith said he found out Seider was leaving when he was scrolling Instagram while returning from a trip home to Wisconsin. Soon after, he received a phone call. Martin said Seider called him to explain the situation. Martin felt Seider “ended terms on the best terms you can” in the situation.
“I mean, I really didn’t have any reaction because I feel like at the end of the day, it’s a business and people got to do what’s best for yourself,” Smith said. “I know he recruited us, and I appreciate him for recruiting us and stuff, but at the end of the day, he got to do what he got to do, what’s best for his family.”
“Obviously, I mean, like, I was hurt,” Martin said. “Me and Coach Seider built an incredible bond this season. He taught me a lot about the running back position and about the game as a whole, but at the end of the day, he got to do what’s best for himself and his family, and I completely respect his decision.”
In their first meeting with the media as Penn State players on Dec. 29 before the Fiesta Bowl, both Smith and Martin had high praise for Seider.
“It’s a real good experience,” Smith told Lions247 in Scottsdale, Ariz. “I mean, I really appreciate him because he pushes all the running backs every day. He drives us to be better every day, so I really thank him for that.”
“It’s amazing,” Martin told Lions247. “He’s been recruiting me since freshman year. He’s always been my favorite coach, my dog, and he’s a big reason why I chose Penn State, so it’s been a blessing.”
Martin appeared in six games (he stayed under the four-game threshold for regular season games to retain redshirt status) and carried 13 times for 32 yards. Smith appeared in four games and carried 22 times for 152 yards, including a 78-yard run against Washington in the White Out. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith played 39 offensive snaps and Martin played 37.
Both players arrived at Penn State with fanfare. Martin was a known commodity on the recruiting trail out of Belle Vernon (Pa.) in the western part of the state for quite some time. He finished the Class of 2024 cycle as a four-star prospect who was ranked as the No. 3 player in Pennsylvania, the No. 8 running back nationally and the No. 130 overall prospect, according to 247Sports.
Smith finished outside of the Top247, but he was still rated by 247Sports as a four-star prospect out of Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial. He was ranked as the No. 3 player in Wisconsin and the No. 25 running back in the class.
While Smith spoke highly of the role Franklin played in his decision to come to Penn State, Seider’s departure — not to mention the return of Singleton and Allen for another year — could alter the future for both running backs, and both Martin and Smith were asked about the NCAA Transfer Portal, which will re-open in April for its post-spring window, during their media availabilities Tuesday.
“No teams have reached out to me,” Martin said. “No, not at all. None.”
Martin said “not at all” when asked if the portal was on his mind at this point.
Smith was emphatic with his expectations for himself at Penn State.
“I don’t have any thoughts on being in the portal,” Smith said. “I mean, me as a player, I feel like, regardless of the situation, I’m gonna be me and I’m gonna ball out to my highest expectation, and I feel like it’s gonna be at Penn State. So yeah, I’m good.”
Franklin believes Penn State’s running backs coach position will be an appealing one. He also believes that he has the administrative support to make hire that will help continue a recent run of high-level play.
And the Penn State running backs believe that despite Seider moving on, the aims of the team don’t change. As both Martin and Smith alluded to, coach movement is part of the game.
“We just got to keep going,” Martin said. “I don’t think our head really turns from the end goal. We’re all still playing the same football, and although it’s not the same people in our family, we’re still going to do our job.”
Daniel Gallen covers Penn State for Lions247 and 247Sports. He can be reached at daniel.gallen@paramount.com. Follow Daniel on X at @danieljtgallen, Instagram at @bydanieljtgallen and Bluesky at @danieljtgallen.bsky.social.
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