Report: Deland McCullough expected to remain at Notre Dame
After an attempt to lure expected Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough to the New York Giants to serve in the same capacity, it seems McCullough will be staying in South Bend.
The update has been confirmed by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic after it was first reported by 247Sports.
News broke on Friday night that the Giants, who are led by new general manager Joe Schoen and new head coach Brian Daboll, were interested in pursuing McCullough. They would have made him one of the highest-paid running backs coaches in the NFL.
The position coach previously coached in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2018-20. McCullough won a Super Bowl with the team for the 2019 season, and the Chiefs offense led the NFL in total yardage in 2018 and 2020.
Additionally, McCullough has a connection to expected new Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. Kafka has been the Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator since 2020, and he has been within the Chiefs organization since 2017.
McCullough’s expected move to Notre Dame comes after his second stint at Indiana as the running backs coach. Prior to 2021, he was in Bloomington from 2013-16.
McCullough produced a collection of standout running backs during that first tenure at Indiana. Tevin Coleman rushed for 2,036 yards in 2014, which was second in the nation. In 2015, both Jordan Howard and Devine Redding rushed for at least 1,000 yards. Redding posted 1,122 yards the following year as well.
After four years of noticeable success at Indiana, he served as the running backs coach for USC in 2017. While there, he coached running back Ronald Jones II to a rushing performance of 1,550 yards, which was second in the Pac-12 and eighth nationally.
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McCullough had an offer to join new USC head coach Lincoln Riley in Los Angeles during this coaching cycle. In other words, he was highly coveted. This is a huge win for Irish head coach Marcus Freeman as he builds an offensive staff for his first year at the helm.
McCullough inherits wealth of RB talent
While former Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams is off to the NFL, McCullough will have four (and maybe five) capable backs at his disposal in 2022.
Presumably leading the charge will be junior Chris Tyree and sophomore Logan Diggs. Tyree’s 2021 season was impacted by a turf toe injury, leading to increased playing time for Diggs behind Williams. The true freshman finished the year with 52 carries for 230 yards and three touchdowns with an additional six catches for 56 yards and a score. The future is bright for Diggs.
Audric Estime was also a freshman last season, but he saw more limited action than Diggs. The 5-foot-11, 228 pounder bullied opposing defenses when he saw the field, finishing with seven carries for 60 yards. Expect to see Estime in goal-line situations more often in 2022.
Notre Dame signed just one running back in their 2022 class. According to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies, Jadarian Price is the No. 14 running back, No. 36 player from Texas and No. 214 player nationally in the class of 2022.
Finally, C’Bo Flemister remains on the Notre Dame roster, but it is unclear if he will elect to play this fall.
