Las Vegas Raiders to hire Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough to staff

The Las Vegas Raiders are set to hire Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough to Pete Carroll’s staff, On3’s Pete Nakos reported. He played a key role in developing Jeremiyah Love the last two seasons.

McCullough was part of Marcus Freeman’s initial staff at Notre Dame in 2022 and moved up to assistant head coach this past year. He was critical in the development of both Love and Audric Estime during his three years with the program, but he’ll now get ready to return to the NFL with Las Vegas.

Prior to his arrival at Notre Dame, McCullough was the running backs coach at Indiana in 2021. Before that, he spent three years in the same role with the Kansas City Chiefs, which allowed him to work with players such as Kareem Hunt and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

McCullough played college football at Miami (OH) before going undrafted in the 1996 NFL Draft. He then briefly spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad, and got his coaching start in 2010 as an intern at his alma mater.

In 2011, he started his first stint as Indiana’s running backs coach and stayed in the role until 2017 when he headed to USC. That’s when the Chiefs came calling, and after a return to Indiana, he arrived at Notre Dame.

McCullough was a valued member of the staff and a key voice in Love’s development. This past season as a sophomore, he rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns to help lead the Notre Dame backfield, even despite dealing with a knee injury late in the year and through the College Football Playoff.

Deland McCullough is the latest notable departure for the Notre Dame coaching staff after the Fighting Irish made a run to the national championship game. Defensive coordinator Al Golden also left to take the same role with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Freeman moved quickly to hire former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash for the role.

“Chris’ experience of coordinating and leading great defensive units at multiple places really resonated with me,” Freeman said in a statement announcing Ash’s hire last week. “His experience both in the NFL and as a head coach are valuable assets he can bring to our program. Chris has a great reputation of being a coach who builds strong relationships, while simultaneously developing his players, and that makes him a great fit for this role.”