Notre Dame has lost one of its brightest coaches, running back coach Deland McCullough. Here is an early look at some names that may be considered potential replacements for the vacancy.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Tony Alford: Michigan
Alford is a name that will come up a lot as this coaching search begins. Alford would be familiar to many Notre Dame fans, as he was a part of the coaching staff for six seasons. During this tenure with the Irish, he coached wide receivers and running backs. Alford would likely be the safest option for Marcus Freeman if he were inclined to leave his job in Ann Arbor. Not only because of his ties to Notre Dame, he has also built quite a resume throughout his career. At Notre Dame, he recruited and developed running backs such as Josh Adams and Dexter Williams. During his tenure at Ohio State, he coached great players like Ezekiel Elliot, J.K. Dobbins, and TreVeyon Henderson. This level of talent and production points to Alford's prowess as not only a recruiter, but also a talent evaluator. Alford is currently at Notre Dame's rival school, Michigan, a school that is more than capable of landing great recruits and being competitive financially, so convincing him to leave would be a tough sell for Freeman to make.
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James Montgomery: Boise State
Montgomery's name may also be in the running to fill the position after the historic season Ashton Jeanty had in 2024. Montgomery's coaching career is relatively new. Before being hired at Boise State in 2023, he had stints at both Fresno State and Sacramento State. The biggest accomplishment of his coaching career is Jeanty's success in 2024. This past season, Jeanty was just 27 yards short of Barry Sanders' all-time rushing record. Montgomery's ability to evaluate and develop Jeanty into one of the most productive players in the history of college football is quite a feat. Those skills could be very useful at Notre Dame, but it would be a substantial step up in competition. A job at Notre Dame would be his first opportunity to coach and recruit against the best teams in the country. This will likely be part of Freeman's discussions with him if he is seriously considered for the job.
Ja'Juan Seider: Penn State
Seider's coaching abilities are something very familiar to many fans of Notre Dame and the staff. In the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame felt the full effect of his Seider's ability. Seider's pair of running backs, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, have been dominant in college football over the last few years. Together, they have set school and Big Ten records with their elite play on the field since they were freshmen. This past season, the pair both ran for over 1000 yards and were instrumental to their deep playoff run. Before Penn State, Seider also coached at Florida and West Virginia. At West Virginia, he managed to recruit and coach two backs who would have NFL careers. Along with his ability to develop talent, he is also known for being a very strong recruiter. This will be an important aspect of the upcoming hire due to McCullough's strength in recruiting. It likely won't be easy for Freeman to bring Seider over from Penn State, with Singleton and Allen both returning. A main selling point for Freeman in this search will be the chance to coach Love and Price, but Seider is probably the only coach in the country that has the talent to rival Notre Dame's backs.
Stan Drayton
Drayton is a name maybe not too many people are familiar with, but he does have the pedigree that may get him looked at by Freeman. Drayton has coaching experience at both the college and professional levels. In the NFL, he most recently worked as the running backs coach for the Chicago Bears from 2015-2016. His other professional job was from 2001-2003, where he was an offensive quality control coach. At the collegiate level, Drayton has had a litany of different jobs, resulting in two National Championships. His first national championship came in 2006, when he coached at the University of Florida from 2005-2007. That season, his running backs averaged 160 yards per game while only losing two fumbles all year. Drayton's second National Championship came in 2014 with the Ohio State Buckeyes. He coached at Ohio State from 2011-2014, producing great players like Ezekiel Elliot, who was the driving force of that National Championship team. Elliot isn't the only special type of player Drayton has coached. From 2017-2021, he also coached at Texas. At Texas, he developed star player Bijan Robinson into one of the best running backs in Texas' history. Drayton is currently unemployed after getting fired at Temple as the head coach, but he would bring a ton of experience and acumen to Notre Dame as a running backs coach. He would also bring in the knowledge of how to amplify Love's unique talent, as he has done that before at Texas and Ohio State.
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