On Jan. 20, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish competed for the first national championship in the 12-team playoff era, with Ohio State coming out on top 34-23.
Two weeks later, the Las Vegas Raiders have coaches from both sides on the same team.
On Sunday, the Raiders hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, making him the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL with $6 million per year.
Now, on Wednesday, it was Notre Dame’s turn to have a member of their coaching staff stolen by the Raiders.
According to Matt Freeman of Irish Sports Daily, Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough is taking the same position with the Raiders.
Source: RB coach Deland McCullough is headed back to the NFL to coach RBs for Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders. https://t.co/yZUFek0lRa pic.twitter.com/dPlKPOJR6J
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) February 6, 2025
McCullough is not the first running backs coach to use the position as a springboard to the NFL. Autry Denson, who served at the position from 2015-18, became the head coach of FCS program Charleston Southern before becoming the running backs coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2023.
The last two years, McCullough has guided the running backs of Notre Dame to success. Audric Estime in 2023 and Jeremiyah Love in 2024 cleared 1,100 rushing yards, with both scoring at least 17 rushing touchdowns.
McCullough’s exemplary work at Notre Dame got him an interview for the head coaching job at the University of Ohio this coaching cycle, but he instead makes the leap to the NFL.
What stood out with McCullough, and what he is likely to bring to the Raiders, was his ability to involve multiple running options and keep backs fresh with a deep rotation. For a team that had the worst rushing offense last season and will likely bring in multiple new running backs this offseason, that is music to the ears of the Raiders.
McCullough has been trusted by the Raiders to fix their backfield, and his track record suggests he is more than up to the task.
Chip Kelly holds first press conference as Raiders offensive coordinator
