Notre Dame Football Assistants Add New Titles And Responsibilities
Notre Dame football has a handful of familiar faces in new places this spring. The departure of former Irish safeties coach Chris O’Leary to the Los Angeles Chargers has caused a little bit of a ripple effect in Notre Dame’s defensive coaching staff.
Mike Mickens has gone from cornerbacks coach to defensive backs coach. That move also means special teams coordinator Marty Biagi will also now assist Mickens with coaching Notre Dame’s safeties this season.
“Marty’s coached on the defensive side of the ball before,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said after Notre Dame’s first spring practice Thursday morning. “This is something I’ve had a conversation with Marty about as he continues to grow in the coaching profession. Special teams, he’s good, right. How can he continue to challenge himself and add some defensive responsibilities and I thought this is the perfect way to do that.
Biagi was the co-defensive coordinator at Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2011. He coached defensive backs and special teams at Southern University from 2012-2014 and was also South Dakota’s cornerbacks coach in 2015.
“It’s a credit to him,” Freeman continued. “He’s buying in. He’s in those defensive meetings. He’s doing a good job. Also credit to Jesse Schmitt, who is our special teams analyst, to be able to help Coach Biagi to prepare for practice and those type of things is really crucial. But all hands on deck for special teams. Ninety percent of our coaches are involved with making sure we are helping out with special teams.”
The other defensive staff move is Max Bullough officially taking over as the linebackers coach. Bullough was a graduate assistant in charge of the linebackers last season when defensive coordinator Al Golden had the official linebackers coach title.
“He’s doing an unbelievable job,” Freeman said. “He’s earned that right to be the linebackers coach and really look forward to seeing what he does with this unit.”
On the offensive side of the ball, running backs coach/running game coordinator Deland McCullough has added responsibility this season. McCullough can now add associate head coach to his title going into his third season on Freeman’s staff.
“Deland is a guy that, even last year, I had a conversation with him about associate head coach and he’s been involved in some of my head coaching meetings,” Freeman explained. “That’s his next step is that Deland McCullough is going to be a head coach somewhere. I want to help him in as many ways as I can. It’s not saying I have the answers, it’s saying come be a part of this and he can take some things off of my plate. He’s earned the right. I think he’s ready to be a head coach and when the opportunity comes I think he’ll be a heck of a head coach.”
McCullough was the Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach from 2018-2020, but he left to join Indiana’s staff in 2021 to begin his career pursuit of becoming a college head coach. He was the Hoosier’s running backs coach and associate head coach for one season before he left to join Freeman’s first staff at Notre Dame. He has continued to both elevate recruiting and player development for Irish running backs in his time with the Fighting Irish.
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