Indiana University Athletics
McCullough Pushes ‘Championship' Mentality in Hoosier Return
4/26/2021 12:00:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Good won't make it. Not for Deland McCullough. His return to college from a Super Bowl-winning coaching run resonates with do-what-others-say-can't-be-done motivation.
"I am trying to get the guys to not only be the best versions of themselves," he says via Zoom media session, "but to help us become Big Ten champions."
After a four-year absence, McCullough is back at Indiana's as associate head coach and running backs coach. What he lacks in big-time running back production (no Hoosier has rushed for more than 118 yards in a game, or 275 yards in a season) he makes up for in player potential.
Veterans such as Sampson James, David Ellis, and Tim Baldwin Jr., and walk-ons such as Ahrod Lloyd, Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Chris Childers, and Charlie Spegal are positioned for big seasons under his guidance, and if they haven't done it yet, just wait.
"They are a very smart group," McCullough says. "They are very talented. They very much bought into the culture, and it showed every day.
"I have guys working hard. They have bought into what I brought to the table as it relates to things such as reads, eye discipline, and a different way of doing things."
This is exactly what coach Tom Allen was hoping for when he hired McCullough last winter.
"Deland's got a tremendous ability to relate to our guys," Allen says. "He has a very commanding personality. He's quiet in his approach in regard to not being a yeller and a screamer. He's a teacher and a great teacher. He commands the respect of the room.
"He has a lot of respect for his guys, and that respect is returned. He's a relationship guy like myself, and he's built those relationships every day."
McCullough's ability to develop 1,000-yard rushers is among the reasons why he's considered one of the top running back coaches in the college and professional ranks.
In seven college coaching seasons, seven of his running backs broke the 1,000-yard barrier, highlighted by IU's Stephen Houston, Tevin Coleman, Jordan Howard, and Devine Redding.
Howard (1,213 yards) and Redding (1,012) did it in the 2015 season. Coleman rushed for a program-record 2,036 yards in 2014.
After a year at USC, the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs followed, with more success. McCullough's running backs ranked among the league leaders in yards after contact, yards after catch, and fewest sacks allowed. He coached Anthony Sherman to the 2018 Pro Bowl and rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire to more than 1,000 rushing yards last season. He was named the NFL's running backs coach of the year at the 2020 NFL Combine.
His three years with the Chiefs included two Super Bowls, one championship, and invaluable experience.
Beyond that, it was a chance to learn from Andy Reid, one of the best head coaches of this generation. McCullough says he picked up the "intricacies of the program and how (the running backs) fit into the bigger picture."
McCullough also got a better sense of how running backs, "can be used to exploit some things in the defense. How we can be the engine to make everything work because we are involved in all aspects of the game as far as protections, catching the ball, blocking and, obviously, running.
"It's just an overall appreciation of what the backs can bring to the table on that level."
If McCullough can get his Hoosiers running backs anywhere close to that level, look out.
"I think all the guys and coaches see how I am trying to fortify every skill of every guy to make us a championship team," McCullough says.
"We have the depth (to do that)."
There will be competition to replace three-year starter Stevie Scott III, who will be running over NFL defenders next season.
"I am preparing all these guys to be the starter," he says.
Baldwin Jr. rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries in four games last season. That included a 106-yard effort against Maryland.
"Tim looks good," McCullough says. "He's moving around well, picking up everything we are talking about as far as the reads and some of the finer points of running back play to make him the dynamic guy he wants to be."
Then there's James, who rushed for 96 yards last season after rushing for 275 (including a 118-yard effort against Purdue) as a true freshman in 2019. He's dealing with some lower leg issues, but will be ready for fall camp.
Allen says McCullough will have a major impact on James, and all the running backs.
"(McCullough's) personality lends itself to that," Allen says. "His expertise and where he's coming from speeds up that process because there's instant credibility in what he's telling you because of where he spent the last three years."
"I know how excited Sampson is to have Deland McCullough as his coach. I know how much he's responding to him. I feel very strongly that he can help Sampson elevate and take the next step that we've challenged him.
"We saw a glimpse of what Sampson can be against Purdue. I tell him, 'That's the Sampson James I know you can be in a Big Ten game.' It's about getting healthy and keeping healthy and getting developed at a high level.
"Coach McCullough is a great fit for that. They are building a good, strong relationship. That's only going to continue to grow."
For McCullough, growth puts team over individual.
"We had different guys step up and show various levels that can help us win championships," he says. "That's what I'm here to do."
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