Deland McCullough Has A Chance To Take Notre Dame RB Recruiting To Greater Heights
Although running back recruiting has been good in recent seasons, Notre Dame is hoping that the hire of veteran running backs coach Deland McCullough can take things to a whole new level. If he can build on the recent recruiting success and coach the way he always has there is no doubt the Irish backfields will be loaded for years to come.
Former running backs coach Lance Taylor did a good job as a coach and recruiter, so improving at the position was going to be a very tough task for head coach Marcus Freeman. Landing McCullough was a home run for Freeman and at the very least means the recent trends will continue, if not get even better.
McCullough comes to Notre Dame with an outstanding reputation as a developer at the running back position. He has routinely tutored next-level running backs during his stops at Indiana (Jordan Howard and Tevin Coleman) and USC (Ronald Jones). He even spent some time as a part of the Kansas City Chiefs program, where he helped lead the team to a victory in Super Bowl LIV.
The first-year Notre Dame coach inherited a running back commit in Sedrick Irvin Jr., but he has quickly made his presence felt.
THE PRESENT
He landed Cincinnati (Ohio) LaSalle running back Gi'Bran Payne as part of the 2022 class while at Indiana. Shortly after McCullough left for Notre Dame, Payne asked for and was granted a release from his letter of intent. He ultimately signed with Notre Dame, giving McCullough his first pickup for the Irish.
His only 2023 running back target is Lake Stevens (Wash.) High School standout Jayden Limar, who is picking between Notre Dame, Michigan, Oregon and Arizona on May 26th. Led by McCullough, Notre Dame has put itself in a strong position ahead of his decision.
THE FUTURE
While most of the new coaches will get a chance to make a big splash in the 2023 class, McCullough's opportunity to make his big splash will likely come in the 2024 class.
The 2024 board will certainly expand over the next year, but the early list of offerees is already impressive.
Notre Dame hosted Wisconsin running back Corey Smith for a visit during the Blue-Gold Game. The explosive young back rushed for 1,130 yards on just 96 carries (11.8 YPC) as a sophomore, and he's an early target for the Irish.
The same is true of Florida runner Davion Gause, who had a monster sophomore season. Gause racked up 1,844 yards (7.3 YPC) and 17 touchdowns as a sophomore.
Another name to know is Georgia running back Kameron Davis, who is committed to Florida State. The Irish are still involved with Davis, who according to sources has shown interest in making a summer trip to South Bend. Davis racked up 1,363 rushing yards (10.7 YPC) and 16 touchdowns while also passing for 1,787 yards and 13 more scores as a sophomore.
There are more names to know, and more will be added, but the key for McCullough will be taking the next year, figuring out who the top targets are and then landing that player.
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