Blue White Illustrated

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Beaver Ave s State College, PA 16801 www.The-Phyrst.com 814.234.4406 137 Elmwood St. s State College, PA 16801 www.HappyValleyBeer.com Wood-fire Grill 12 Beers on Tap 200 Year Old Barn 821 Cricklewood Dr. s Toftrees, State College www.AmericanAleHouse.net 814.237.9701 s Piano Bar s Sommelier 814.238.1406 814.234.7700 s 1611 Atherton St. s State College 814.941.7788 s Plank Rd. Exit s Altoona www.ChampsSportsGrill.net s Best Game Bar s Large Groups Welcome c lc e W We s p u o r G e g r a L s a e B m a st G e B s S n S h 1 A 1 6 1 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 me co r a l l C S r G s rt o p S s p m a h C . www s t i x . E d k R n a l P s 8 8 7 7 1. 4 9 . 4 1 8 S s . t n S o t r e h t 1 A 1 6 1 s 0 0 7 7 4. 3 2 4. 1 8 t e n . l l i r na o o t l A e g e l l o C e at t S Seider was his guy to help out. "You don't hire Ja'Juan unless you're going to make a recruiting shift," Franklin said after hiring him, "and you don't hire Ja'Juan and not recruit Florida." The opportunities that Seider's con- nections presented were deemed valu- able enough that Franklin shifted Corley over to the wide receivers. That made room for Seider to find his home in the RB room. He wasted no time getting to work. In the end, he had a persuasive role in landing at least five of Penn State's 23 total signees, three of whom played their high school football in the Sunshine State. With four-star receiver John Dunmore, specifically, Penn State would never have had a chance without the new assistant coach. "He treats me like I'm his son more than a recruit," Dunmore said. "I know that if I ever needed to go to him about something, he would take care of me." With Seider, everything begins with trust. A standout high school quarter- back in Florida some 25 years ago, he continues to maintain strong friend- ships among the state's coaches. That's what gives him – and by extension, PSU – clout. "This thing is real," Seider said. "Now that they know somebody who's from [Florida] on the staff, we can see Penn State being a real player down here." New wide receivers coach Gerad Parker got to see it firsthand shortly after he joined the staff in January. It was a refresher of sorts, as Parker and Seider previously worked alongside each other for a couple of seasons at Mar- shall. Chalk up another recruit for Ja'Juan. Penn State parted ways with Corley after the 2018 season, a move that Franklin described as "really challenging for me." To fill the vacancy, he brought on Parker to oversee the wide receivers. In addition to already knowing Seider, Parker had some pre-existing recruiting relationships as well, one of which was with three-star receiver T.J. Jones. Parker had targeted Jones while at his previous institution, Duke. Seider, meanwhile, had been corresponding with the staff at Columbia High throughout Jones's senior year. Teaming up together down the homestretch, Sei- der and Parker combined to land Jones's February signature. Said Parker, "To beat up the roads with him again from the years of our friendship was pretty cool [and] to go down there and recruit [Jones]." While it all begins with relationships with Seider, that's not where it ends. Devyn Ford was already verbally committed by the time Seider came on board, but the two were acquainted. While he was still on the staff at Florida, Seider had attempted to re- cruit the Virginia running back. Their exchange lasted only a few text mes- sages, as Ford didn't want to venture too far from home. Then, after Seider got the job at Penn State, they sat down and watched film together. That's when Ford recognized what all the buzz was about. "He's smart, very smart," Ford said. "You have to listen to a smart guy some- times. I mean, the way he talks about football, explains the game plan, ex- plains the run play... the way he talks about the game, it matches mine." That's what separates Seider from some smooth-talking salesman, and his influence extends well beyond Florida's borders, even though that's where it began. Others know, and more are finding out. Rivals.com ranked Sei- der as one of the top 25 recruiters na- tionally for the 2019 class, and new Miami head coach Manny Diaz report- edly went after Seider to become an of- fensive assistant this winter. Diaz probably wasn't the only one to take an interest in Seider's work. With each ad- ditional prospect he signs, and with continued success in the backfield, Sei- der's stock within the coaching ranks will only rise. Franklin hit a home run with this one, no doubt, and the results are there to show for it. Bringing Seider on – now that might just be the best recruiting job of all. ■

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