The Oklahoma Sooners have their next running backs coach, Sooners Illustrated on the 247Sports Network has learned. Deland McCullough is expected to takeover to backs room in Norman, sources tell Collin Kennedy and Matt Zenitz for 247Sports/CBS Sports.
McCullough comes to OU after longtime assistant coach DeMarco Murray left for an opportunity with the Kansas City Chiefs. McCullough returns to the collegiate level from the NFL.
McCullough spent the 2025 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. In his lone year with the franchise, McCullough helped mentor first-round pick Ashton Jeanty amidst his transition to the pros.
The Raiders struggled mightily in 2025, posting a 3-14 record then firing head coach Pete Carroll. Las Vegas chose to hire Klint Kubiak, and while filling out the new staff, McCullough was not retained.
Upon hitting the free agent market, McCullough quickly became a target for Oklahoma. The Sooners are now set to bring in a veteran coach and a highly-respected presence in the industry.
McCullough played at Miami (Ohio) before spending time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. McCullough then had stops with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League and Chicago Enforcers of the XFL before retiring.
McCullough got his collegiate coaching career started at his alma mater, Miami (Ohio), as a coaching intern contributing to special teams and the running backs room. McCullough was then hired at Indiana in 2011 to be the running backs coach for current OU offensive analyst Kevin Wilson.
McCullough and Wilson spent several years together coaching the Hoosiers before changes struck in 2016. McCullough landed at USC to be the Trojans’ running backs coach and run game coordinator in 2017.
From 2018 to 2020, McCullough served as the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was on staff when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV, played in back-to-back Super Bowls and appeared in three-consecutive AFC Championship Games.
McCullough returned to Indiana for one season in 2021 before joining the staff at Notre Dame in 2022. He served as the Fighting Irish’s running backs coach and received a promotion to run game coordinator after one year.
While at Notre Dame, McCullough helped the Irish reach the 2024 National Championship. He played a primary role in Audric Estimé posting one of the best rushing seasons in program history in 2023. McCullough recruited Jeremiyah Love to Notre Dame and coached the elite offensive playmaker into one of the nation’s best.
While much of this was going on, McCullough had ties to Norman. His sons, Dasan McCullough and Daeh McCullough, both played at Oklahoma under Brent Venables.
Both McCullough brothers transferred out, but relationships had been built. The hiring of the aforementioned Wilson only added another familiar face for McCullough at Oklahoma.
McCullough is yet another splash hire for the Sooners this offseason. He joins a staff in Norman hoping to build off momentum generated from a 2025 College Football Playoff run.