Florida tight ends coach Ja’Juan Seider is leaving the staff to pursue another coaching opportunity, The Sun confirmed Wednesday.
Seider was hired a year ago by Jim McElwain to coach the Gator running backs, the same position he coached at West Virginia for four seasons before coming to Florida.
After the coaching change, Seider was retained by new UF coach Dan Mullen, but was then switched to tight ends coach two weeks ago when Mullen hired his running backs coach at Mississippi State, Greg Knox. Seider has never coached tight ends during his 18-year coaching career.
Seider was one of the strongest recruiters on the UF staff the past two years and his departure could impact the final two weeks of recruiting for the Gators.
There are reports that Seider is in line to become the new wide receivers coach at Penn State. He also interviewed for a position with the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
Mullen, who completed his staff two weeks ago, now has another coaching position to fill.
Obviously he was not happy with the position switch. Hope this decision will not bite coach Mullen, he’s a good recruiter with S. FL connections.
Sorry to see Seider go, but it might not be a bad thing to have a complete change of the staff following what happened with both Muschamp and Mac.
Best wishes to Seider! But in the future, shouldn’t a ”position coach”, have played some of ”that position” for the best of the player (and the coach for that matter)? I am not certain what position Seider played. All I’m saying is Steve Spurrier played Q.B., and well… see: Shane Matthews & Danny Wuerffel with Coach Spurrier. Some positions are just too important for, ”…now it’s your turn to coach T.E.s.”
Somewhat of a loss, but people make decisions.
OK Vulcan, enough is enough. What happened to your standard photo tag? That green shade hat is associated with gambling, and God knows if you’re a vulcan, you’re too logical to do that! Sorry, but somebody needed to tell you it stinks.
This is my upset face. No, not really.
Best wishes Coach Seider, we appreciate all that you have done for this program. You gave us the best you had and it paid off on and off the field. Thanks again for your service!!
Agreed. I thought Coach Seider did a real good job. I wish him well, sorry to see him go. Hopefully we can find a successful replacement.
Mullen most likely will, sooner than later mveal. But in the meantime, this is a loss for the program. Good man who could have played a very important part in the rebuild, I sure as hell wouldn’t blow it off as insignificant.
This article did not mention Mullen’s interest in hiring Larry Scott, the former Tennessee OC and tight ends coach with very strong South Florida recruiting connections. If that happens and happens quickly, the loss of Seider will not be as impactful. Right now, the impact on recruiting is huge for February 7 signees.
Where is Rick Gillmore?
Damn Skippy….I’ve been wondering that too. Guess he’s on sabbatical until the Orange and Blue game? I really miss his commentary….agree or not….he sure gets the conversation moving along at warp speed and is frequently spot on.
His parents kicked him out of their basement.
HA!
Seider made a huge mistake coming to UF in the first place. UF is a dumpster fire, and Seider has learned his lesson. If Mullen had really wanted to retain him, he shouldn’t have insulted him by removing him from his job coaching RBs. I disagree with the premise that you need to have played the position you coach, or any other garbage about coaching a specific position. If you’re a coach, which is a teacher, in case some of you didn’t know that, yyou should be capable of teaching any subject. An offensive coach should be able to teach defense and the reverse is true as well. It’s not rocket science, and any coach worth anything could teach any, I repeat, ANY position on a football team. So I doubt Seider is leaving because he’s incapable of teaching another position. But I do think he felt disrespected by Mullen, and said so by his actions.
Him leaving is a blow to UF recruiting, especially in South Florida. Miami is there and I don’t think folks realize the staff hired by Willie Taggart at FSU is full of guys just like Seider, with a huge footprint already in South Florida.
In other words, you don’t know why either. Just opinions, which you label “garbage” unless they’re your own.
Howdy, Mike. Why aren’t you busy covering for Francois?
Winter is phenomenal. He reminds me of larry the cable guy. Just someone using a made up personality and persona to troll everyone and get attention and get er’ done
LOL…true story
Feels like Gator envy
A six-pack of original crunchy tacos with Fire Sauce and a medium Diet Dr. Pepper, please.
Go Noles!
Wanna super size that order, Mister?
So an English teacher should be able to teach Scoence, and Vice versa? Your post sounds like a dumpster fire 🔥 🔥 🔥
I’m impressed! You know where Miami is. As far as his great recruiting? mehhhh
Mike Winter: I know what you are thinking…at least Francois beat somebody this year. More of the same at FSU. Nothing to see here; just the football factory that Big Bowden created. Who’s the real dumpster fire? I dumpster file of your soul. That’s what FSU is.
I can see that Gator fans, at least most of them, continue to be utter fools. To talk about Francois, who has already whipped UF, is the heigtht of imbecility. He’s done NOTHING wrong, unless you’re just as stupid as the moron in the White House, and believe in rumors, not facts. Francois, or Blackman, will be around in November towhip UF’s ass again, just like they’ve already done.
It’s just stupid for any Gator fan to say ANYTHING about FSU, since FSU dominates UF. The last time UF beat FSU in Gainesville was 2009. There’s not one player on UF that has beat FSU, while NO ONE at FSU has ever lost to Florida! FSU’s worse team in years still dominated UF last year in Gainesville. So, for anyone to say ANYTHING not coomplimentary about FSU, as a Gator fan, just proves they are as much of a moron as the fool in the White House.
Every word I say is true, and that’s what you can’t handle. Seider DID step into a dumpster fire, Seider WAS disrespected by Dan Mullen, and UF STILL does NOTHING but talk big. An exampl of that was seen from the mediocre RB, Lamichael Perine, who tweeted about how he wouldn’t trade UF’s RBs for any other in the nation. Big talk from a player that is on the FIFTH best team in the state of Florida and has had his whipped by FSU every time he’s played them. By the way, he’s tweeting aout the return of someone, unlike Francois, Jordan Scarlett, who has plenty of EVIDENCE of being a knucklehead.
So, like the moron in the White House, you can call this “fake news, but it’s just the truth, and FSU will whip UF agin this Fall and make them like it.
Didn’t read your post but if FSU is so tough than why do we hold the overall series lead? Why Mike? Even with FSU allowing every thug who can run fast and bench press a ton on the team, UF still has the all time lead. Even with the last 7 years, UF still leads the all time series. Always has…always will. FSU thugs are real tough guys with their women. Always are…always have been. And guys like you support that stuff non-stop. Go Coach Bowden…write a letter to the judge for Mikey Gib son. Now I see why FSU players look up to him so much…he’s just like them.
Is your self esteem, your self concept even, so poor that you have to over-identify with a sports team in order to at least feel better about yourself? Or is it to simply get attention, any kind of attention? Do the insults you sling around make you feel manly or something? Ever hear of sportsmanship? Playful, competitive jokes back and forth are one thing, even with teeth on them sometimes, but there seems to be a lot of irrational anger in your comments that doesn’t bode well for your health, TebowCurse. If this is all you’ve got, I urge you to see a mental health counselor soonest.
I understand your mother will throw in a whipping for those that are so inclined.
For an additional fee, of course.
I sure hope you weren’t posting to me on that comment.
Nope Gator-6. That was aimed at the troll.
More speculation disguised as “knowledge” from the lamest cat in the state.
Time to ban thetebowcurse because we all know who the “author” is …
Best wishes Coach Seider, we appreciate all that you have done for this program. You gave us the best you had and it paid off on and off the field. Thanks again for your service!!
GREAT RECRUITER.
HOPE THAT DOES NOT HURT UF. (RECRUITING)
RB HAS NOT BEEN THE PROBLEM FOR YEARS, SO WHAT EVER HE WAS DOING, IT WAS WORKING.
EVEN IF IT WAS JUST RECRUITING GREAT BACKS, AND WAS NOT GREAT AT COACHING. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN GOOD.
JUST SAYING RB HAVE PLAYED VERY WELL. EVEN FRESHMAN LIKE DAVIS THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE.
This guy is an up-and-coming position coach so the odds of him being here for the next four years to coach the freshmen he recruits is about zero. Mullen can’t make decisions on his staff because he thinks that a position coach may get mad and leave. That would make him a poor CEO. If he truly felt disrespected, then it was going to happen anyway. Don’t delay the inevitable. Seider will be a great coach and good luck at whatever job he accepts. Either way, we will be fine and its a fact that people change jobs all the time.
We don’t know why coach Seider moved on, I believe that was just the posters OPINION (about being disrespected) which he is entitled to but let’s move to higher ground. Yes, I agree with you that Mullen can not make decisions about staff or any other phase of his job under duress. Let’s just hope we get a solid replacement.
I think I can cull out the meaning of both of your points, but I’d offer the following. To the point of a head coach being a CEO, in this case DM, I’ve always been uncomfortable with that term. I’m open to it, of course, but my background makes me distinguish between “management” and “leadership”. The two are not the same despite the common elements both share. A good “manager” essentially works within a systems and resources approach, and while within that scheme he or she can be really effective, people are more than resources. A good manager can be a good leader, but it also works the other way too. On the other hand, while a good leader can be a good manager, he or she works primarily within the domain of intangibles–such as inspiration, caring, motivation, attitude, team building, etc, etc. Not to belabor the point, but from what I know about Mullen, before and now, he is a true “leader”. And probably a pretty good manager too, but first and foremost a leader. Accordingly, I’m not convinced that he can’t make tough decisions like this, assuming that was a variable in this matter in the first place, when it is in the best interests of the unit. Simple fact is though, none of us actually know what motivated Seider. so even my points are nothing more than speculation at this point. As I stated before, I see this as a significant loss, but as both of you say (Travis & CreekGator), we’re going to be fine and let’s not dwell on actions past/actions completed.
Former Gators are available. Cornelius Ingram and Jacquez Green to name 2. Ingram is a high school coach close by and impeccable character and played TE at UF and a year or 2 in the pros.
I thought Ingram was great and under used. Did he get hurt his senior year?
I’d still like to see Dwayne Dixon come back. Great player and an even greater coach while he was here.
I’d like to see some of that too, gatorlover.
He did a great job for us, but it seems more about possibly not meshing with Mullen’s staff he brought in since he’s possibly going to be a WR coach somewhere else and not a RB coach. Good luck to him wherever he goes.
Not happy with being tight ends coach for Dan Mullen but happy to be wide receivers coach at Penn State? Seems as though there’s something else going on beside the assignment shift. As far as being a strong recruiter? I wasn’t impressed by the job any of McElwain’s recruiters turned in. There was a whole lot more top of the line high school players spurned Florida than signed with the Gators.
It’s pretty much a consensus opinion that Seider was THE best recruiter on UF’s staff this past year. Perhaps Mullen has hired others just as good, or better, but Seider is THE guy carring the main load for this year’s class and it’d be a surprise if his loss, with only a couple of weeks before signing day, is not detrimental, probably signifiantly, to this year’s class. Uf should feel fortunate that the majority of the class has already signed up. I’n sure there’s a feeling of loss, and betrayal, with some of those who signed because of Seider.
From what it sounds like, a lot of Seider’s recruiting was done with the early signing period, so it’s not going to be a major issue. The main players left that the coaches are working on are OL, defense, and the 1-2 WRs that he really wouldn’t be that much in with the recruiting process.
Now that’s what I call a rational response, Tebowcurse. And you just might, in point of fact, be correct. Personally, I think we’ll be OK regardless, but my gut tells me as well that this is not a trivial loss.
I am sure you have a deep sense of loss and betrayal towards your mother for weaning you before you turned eighteen.
Mikey: If I knew as much about FSU football as you know about Gator football, I would volunteer for intense Psychiatric treatment. This is truly nutty behavior.
Let’s add Johnny Rutledge to the mix of possible candidates. Cornelius Ingram, Jacquez Green, Johnny Rutledge. Needs to be someone with Florida connections to recruit, preferably from Polk, Tampa Area, Jacksonville area, or South Florida.
To the poster who asked, yes, Ingram ripped up a knee while at Florida.
Why does a Gator coach have to be a former Gator player?
Coaches are paid mercenaries. Nothing more, nothing less. Even Spurrier hauled butt on the Gators to go coach the Redskins.
To thetebowcurse, you are a moron for calling our President, ” the moron in the Whitehouse “. Have you checked your paycheck lately. Respect the man because he has done alot for this country. You must watch CNN.
I cringe at comments like that too, Gator7. I don’t care for POTUS at a personal level, doubt I’d ever enjoy having a cigar with him, but his agendas and accomplishments so far might just be a prelude to saving the republic. In my Conservative-Constitutionalist-Christian and flatulent opinion anyway. Now, stay tuned for more sports news after the break………….
If you take a look at coaching rosters, you’ll see that many assistants not only have backgrounds coaching different positions, but also on both sides of the ball. Versatility is a positive part of a coaches resume, since nearly all aspire to be head coaches and those guys have to coach or at least supervise all positions. And to assume Coach Seider felt disrespected you have to ignore that he was one of two asked to stay, obviously an sign of respect. Since coaches change jobs often for so many reasons, perhaps it’s a waste of time doing the opinion thing here.
Here’s a list of other possible reasons Coach Seider left: The coach was mugged by a tight end when he was a little kid, he and James Franklin are old teammates/best friends who have always wanted to coach together, or maybe his wife hates Gainesville, Mrs. Mullen hates wife because she used to hate Gainesville and thought Mrs. Seider should come up with her own handle, Seider’s daughter wants to play volleyball at Penn State, and her parents can’t bear the thought of not being able to watch her play (they were secretly afraid of a negative comparison with Urban Meyer), the new RB coach and the former RB coach got into a fist fight about who had more yardage–Neal Anderson or Rick Casares. And after all that it turns out it depends if you’re talking about as Gators or Bears. Somebody said they thought they saw Coach Seider wink at the new grad assistant trainer even though he really didn’t. And Mrs. Seider only hated Gainesville because nobody told her about the two-inch flying roaches in North Central Florida and she can’t take it anymore. Or maybe the whole family is afraid of alligators since little Billy Seider fell into Lake Alice, and the Jaws music during games makes them all have flashbacks…
Those are some funny reasons.
I’m with Eugenio!!!! Great satire, great mind, he loves the Gators…..let’s write him in for governor!
Nice work…