Penn State co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider has had his chances to leave Happy Valley since arriving prior to the 2018 season, but none of those opportunities seemed worth it.
All of the programs that have attempted to poach the sixth-year coach pale in comparison to his situation with the Nittany Lions. In a profession that is built upon progressing to higher levels, Seider has remained content with Penn State in recent memory.
During a joint press conference with fellow co-offensive coordinator Ty Howle on Friday afternoon, Seider dove into his decision making process as it relates to staying on James Franklin's staff in Happy Valley.
"A lot of times as assistant coach, it's stability, like what do you leave Penn State for? Like as an assistant coach, it's got to make a lot of sense. You know, people say lateral moves. Well, most of them are going to be below Penn State, you know, unless you go to Ohio State, Michigan, which I don't see that. I want to beat their ass," Seider told reporters. "I don't want to go there."
Even if the two Big Ten powerhouses came calling, Seider has all that he could want in a job with the Nittany Lions, spanning from the people within the Penn State program to the opportunity to compete for a National Championship, which he believes is something they are on the cusp of doing.
"I don't come to work. I mean, I really feel that. Like, I come into a building I actually enjoy coming to a building," Seider said. "I truly enjoy my time here. I mean, it's the people that makes it special. And as an assistant coach, I mean, all you're looking for is a place where you can grow, you have an opportunity to win it all. Right here you have a chance to win it all. You know, we haven't done it yet, but we were knocking on the door. So a lot of places you don't get that opportunity. We sit here pissed off, we won 10 games. A lot of people would be glad to win 10 games, like I don't take that for granted."
Another key factor for Seider has been the opportunity to learn under head coach James Franklin over the last six years. The Nittany Lions' head man is one of the best leaders that Seider has been around during his 16-year collegiate coaching career.
"We've got great leadership up top with Coach Franklin," Seider said. "Every time I walk in the building, I see coach Franklin, I see one of the best CEOs I've been around. Like, this guy wears so many hats and to do it at a high level and I don't think he gets enough credit for how much he has done here with this program and had to overcome to get this place where it's at now."
As a Florida native, Seider knows just how long it has taken the top programs in his home state to return to the upper echelon of the college football world, which he subtly attributed to how they have been led from the top. That variable is something he believes the Nittany Lions have locked in with Franklin at the helm, but shares the head coach doesn't get the credit he deserves outside the building.
"I grew up in Florida. I'm a Floridian. And you look at those three schools down there and look how long you're taking those guys recover and that's the best high school football in the country. So why it takes them so long? Well, it start at the top," Seider said.
"I mean, sometimes we don't give this guy enough credit for where we at, because football, winning is hard. Create a culture where everybody feels like they part of something is hard. And we have done that here. And that's the main reason why I'm still sitting in this chair."
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