After three years with the Fighting Irish, Deland McCullough leaves South Bend to become the new running backs coach for the Las Vegas Raiders, per Matt Freeman.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
This move will give McCullough his first opportunity to coach in the NFL after more than a decade of coaching experience at the college level. However, this won't be his first time in the NFL. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles from 1996 to 1997.
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Although his time was short in South Bend, McCullough's presence was felt over his three years as the running backs coach. During his time, he produced some of the nation's most talented and productive rushers. In 2023, it was Audric Estime who ran for over 1300 yards and 18 touchdowns. This past season, Jeremiyah broke out as one of college football's best players, rushing for 1125 yards and 17 touchdowns. Not only did McCullough produce Love, but he has also produced an RB room filled with talented backs like Jadarian Price, who rushed for 746 yards, and Aneyas Williams. McCullough consistently built strong RB rooms like the one this past season. In 2022, Estime and Logan Diggs both nearly reached 1000 yards on the season, with Estime totaling 920 and Diggs 820.
McCullough has presided over some incredible talent at Notre Dame, making him an attractive hire for anyone. This makes it no surprise he is getting an opportunity to coach at the next level. Unfortunately for Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame staff, his departure means they once again will have to begin the hiring process. This is the third staff member to have left this offseason, including Al Golden, Chad Bowden, and now Deland McCullough.
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