If you can’t beat them, join them. James Franklin’s National Championship hope just took a big hit after losing their co-OC and RB coach. One of their top coaching assets has packed his bags for South Bend for a stint with Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame who ended their CFP stint with a 27-24 win in the semifinals. As much as that is a blow in itself, more concerns could follow, particularly in the RB room. A potential domino effect?

247Sports’ Matt Zenitz first reported that Penn State’s long-time RB coach Ja’Juan Seider is expected to take up the same role at Notre Dame. With this move, James Franklin isn’t just tasked with finding a replacement, but he might face subsequent hits from his RB room. Following this role change, Locked On Nittany Lions host Zack Seyko dropped a legitimate concern on a new YouTube episode on February 10. “Both running backs [Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton] are going to stay at Penn State. They’re locked in for a national championship run,” he began. “But could the same be said for a Cam Wallace, a Quinton Martin, or a Corey Smith?”

The departure of Ja’Juan Seider left a void at Penn State, but both Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton are expected to return. After all, they’re clear-cut starters and they have just one more season in them to play college football. So their return makes sense. But “what is the game plan for Cam Wallace?” The redshirt freshman suffered a long-term lower-body injury during the Kent State game that sidelined him this past season. 

Cam Wallace may be a late 3-star recruit out of Georgia in the 2023 cycle but under the offensive genius of Seider, he quickly established himself as the top 3 RB behind the Nittany Lions starters. “He’s to the point now where he can go out there and function just like Nick and Kaytron,” Seider previously stated. “He built a lot of equity between his teammates. Now, they trust him, the quarterback trusts him and the O-line trusts him.” But his injury cut his season’s production as he was able to rack up only 18 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown. And now that his mentor is gone, the possibility of him entering the spring transfer portal only widens. And he’s not the only RB stirring tension with a transfer possibility. 

What about Quinton Martin and Corey Smith?

Quinton Martin played sparingly this season appearing in just four games and recording 32 yards on 13 carries. Like Martin, Corey Smith also made four game appearances for 152 yards on 22 carries. They both joined Penn State as part of the 2024 class, thanks to Ja’Juan Seider’s recruiting brilliance. It’s for no reason he was named Recruiter of the Year this past season. 

Seider had been a heavy recruiter for Penn State since joining them in 2018. He was responsible for bringing in both Allen and Singleton to Happy Valley and developing them into two of the most explosive RBs this past season, both surpassing the 1,000-yard mark. He even made early recruitments of the 2026 class Messiah Mickens and the 2027 class Kemon Spell. His departure leaves a gaping hole in both running offense and recruitment, leaving speculations that the RBs on the roster could seek a different destination. 

While rumors and opinions swirl, nothing is declared yet. It remains to be seen if James Franklin can retain the loyalty of his RBs or if this marks the beginning of a much bigger problem.