Deland McCullough ‘Jumps’ at Chance for IU Return

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Deland McCullough won't wait on opportunity. There are too many mountains to climb, goals to meet, successes to attain.

Know that first when understanding why McCullough, a nationally renowned NFL assistant coach coming off a second-straight Super Bowl appearance, is once again Indiana's running backs coach, and this time around, associate head coach as well.

"It was something I jumped at," McCullough says via a Zoom video conference. "Everything just fit for me."

Fit finds him at his Kansas City home. Behind him is a replica of a Super Bowl trophy won with the Kansas City Chiefs and the ESPN E60 Emmy Award for the story about finding his birth parents.

That story generated national acclaim. He was born John Briggs in 1972, adopted as a newborn with no knowledge of his biological parents, reunited with his mother in 2017, and finally learned that his long-time mentor, Sherman Smith, a former college and NFL coach who wasn't told he had fathered a child, was actually his biological father, a coincidence that borders on the unbelievable.

It suggests a man undeterred by obstacles, a coach driven to help lift others to spectacular heights, which could have a major impact on Indiana's program on the rise.

"Where I see myself going in the future," he says, "Indiana University was the place that I wanted to be."

Head coach Ton Allen has a similar vision, starting with the 2021 season mantra, "chase."

"We are chasing greatness at Indiana."

McCullough, Allen adds, will play a huge role in that.

"He will help us continue to grow our program and compete for championships."

Indiana competed hard during the pandemic-limited 2020 season, finishing 6-2 with victories over Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin en route to a second-straight bowl bid.

It was a great season, Allen says, but not the defining one.

"I do believe that the best is yet to come for Indiana Football. You surround yourself with people who want to be great."

McCullough personifies that approach. Landing him is big for recruiting, for running back development and for championship-winning performance.

"I think he's a complete fit with who we are here," Allen says. "He's everything we want in this position, and more."

This hiring came after former running backs coach Mike Hart left for Michigan last month, which resulted in Allen being "bombarded" with applicants. McCullough instantly rose to the top. He texted Allen his interest, and the head coach's first reaction was, in essence, are you kidding me?

"I was surprised," Allen says. "I thought, 'Seriously?'

"I went to one of our coaches, and said, 'You're not going to believe who's interested in this job.'"

Consider McCullough was a highly respected NFL assistant coach with three-straight AFC Championship Game appearances and a bright pro future. That he would consider returning to college, specifically Indiana, where he had coached from 2011-16, turning down previous college offers, reflects the high regard for Allen and his program.

"Everything just fit for me," McCullough says. "Coach Allen. The program. The direction it's headed. I felt it in my spirit that I wanted to be part of the next step that IU takes."

How good of a coach is McCullough?

In seven years as a college running backs coach, he had seven 1,000-yard rushers, including five from 2014-17. That included two All-Americans and nine all-conference selections.

McCullough helped develop the most successful run of tailback talent IU has ever seen with Stephen Houston, Tevin Coleman, Jordan Howard and Devine Redding.

All four played in the NFL.

In 2015, Howard (1,213 yards) and Redding (1,012) each surpassed 1,000 yards, a program first.

Also during that season the Hoosiers became the fourth major college team to have a 3,500-yard passer (Nate Sudfeld), two 1,000-yard runners and one 1,000-yard receiver (Simmie Cobbs Jr.).

Redding rushed for 1,195 yards the next season to become the first IU tailback to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Vaughn Dunbar in 1990-91.

Coleman, meanwhile, rushed for a program-record 2,036 yards in 2014. He was just the 18th player in college history to break 2,000 yards. He was IU's third unanimous and consensus All-American, and finished seventh in Heisman Trophy voting.

Coleman was drafted in the third round by Atlanta. A year later, Howard went in the fifth round to Chicago.

Under McCollough, Hoosier running backs set 19 school records. He was named BTN.com's running back coach of the year in 2014.

McCullough's knack for bringing out the best in his players extended beyond his IU run.

In one year as USC's run game coordinator/running backs coach, he helped USC win the Pac-12 championship and play in the Cotton Bowl. Running backs Ronald Jones and Stephen Carr each won All-Pac-12 honors. James was an All-American and a second-round pick by of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Three years with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs included a Super Bowl championship, and hosting three-straight AFC Championship Games for the first time in conference history.

McCullough coached Anthony Sherman to the 2018 Pro Bowl. This past season Chiefs rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire gained more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

He's also coached NFL standouts such as Damien Williams, Kareem Hunt, Le'Veon Bell and LeSean McCoy. He was named the NFL's running backs coach of the year at the 2020 NFL Combine.

This past season, his running backs didn't allow a sack. During his three NFL seasons, his running backs ranked among Big Ten's best in yards after catch, yards after contact and fewest sacks allowed.

McCullough coaches from experience. As a player at Miami of Ohio, he set the Mid-American Conference rushing record with 4,368 yards and three 1,000-yard seasons.

He then played professionally with the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles, the Canadian Football League's Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the XFL's Chicago Enforcers before entering the coaching ranks.

McCullough's college head coaching aspirations will get boosted with his associate head coach role.

"This is not just a title," Allen says. "It has a lot of responsibility to impact this team."

That opportunity sealed the deal. McCullough says it wouldn't have made sense to come back without it.

"I knew Tom would continue to support me in having a bigger impact beyond just the running back room."

Allen says he won't micro-manage McCullough. For one thing, he doesn't have to. For another, that's not his nature.

"I believe in hiring great people and trusting them to do their jobs," he says.

"He's done an amazing job of connecting with his players wherever he's been. That is the common theme. He is a great teacher, a great role model of how to live your life. He does things with a high degree of detail, effort and focus."

IU has gone a couple of years without a 1,000-yard rusher, but that's misleading. Stevie Scott III, who set an IU freshman record with 1,137 yards in 2018, missed the final two games of the 2019 season with an injury, and finished with 845 rushing yards. The pandemic limited last season to eight games. He had 561 yards.

Scott is headed for NFL opportunity after passing on his final season, but Tim Baldwin Jr. (141 rushing yards), Sampson James (96) and David Ellis (61) are back.

"We've got some talented guys in that room," McCullough says.

McCullough will make a huge recruiting impact with his NFL and college background. Allen says it's a big deal that McCullough has worked with NFL running backs as well as gotten players such as ex-Hoosiers Coleman and Howard into the league.

McCullough says he will use NFL players such as Bell and McCoy for a recruiting edge.

"I'm going to have those guys on speed dial, and they are going to be willing to sell it."

Allen and McCullough had earlier reached an agreement, "but had to keep it quiet until after the Super Bowl," Allen says.

Quiet is over.

"People want to be part of this program," Allen says.

McCullough and Allen spent one year at Indiana together when Allen arrived as IU's defensive coordinator in 2016. McCullough says he was impressed with how Allen turned a previously disastrous defense into a formidable force.

When McCullough mentioned the Hoosier opportunity to Kansas City coach Andy Reid, he "talked about Tom like he knew him" even though he didn't, that he could see Allen's "energy and what he's doing and the commitment he's made to the university.

"That has paid dividends and was further confirmation for me."

And then he jumped.

Deland McCullough ‘Jumps’ at Chance for IU Return

Players Mentioned

Tim Baldwin Jr.

David Ellis

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