USC Football Announces New Running Backs Coach Deland McCullough

USC football officially announced Deland McCullough, formerly of Indiana, as the Trojans’ new running backs coach on Friday.

The hiring of Deland McCullough is officially official, USC football announced on Friday.

The former Indiana running backs coach was rumored to be brought on by USC early last week, but the Trojans had yet to reveal the hire.

McCullough will replace departed running backs coach Tommie Robinson, who left the Trojans to join Ed Orgeron’s staff at LSU in early February.

In a press release, USC head coach Clay Helton welcomed McCullough to the staff.

“[McCullough] had great success recruiting and then developing prolific running backs at Indiana who were NFL ready.  The Indiana run game during his time was effective, efficient and productive,” Helton said. “He understands the running game and was himself a very skilled runner as a college and pro player.  He relates well to his players and has a unique background dating to his days working in education as a principal.”

USC’s running backs had thrived under Robinson in two stints in Los Angeles, but McCullough has plenty of success on his own.

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At Indiana, McCullough mentored NFL running back Tevin Coleman, who rushed for 2,036 yards for the Hoosiers in 2014. In fact, McCullough produced the first two Indiana running backs to be drafted in consecutive years since the early 1990s in Coleman and Jordan Howard. Indiana’s leading rusher from 2016, Devin Redding, is expected to make it three in a row.

Prior to coaching at Indiana, McCullough started off at Miami (OH), his alma mater where he set the MAC record for career rushing yards. As a player, McCullough spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles before spending two seasons in the Canadian Football League.

The Trojans will hope he can get production out of the talented group of running backs USC currently boasts, including returning leading rusher Ronald Jones II.

In addition to Jones, USC recently signed five-star running back Stephen Carr and return Aca’Cedric Ware and Vavae Malepeai.