Notre Dame fans were met with some disappointment on Wednesday night when it was announced that running back Coach Deland McCullough was leaving to take the same position with the Las Vegas Raiders. A massive blow for the program, Coach McCullough was a tremendous coach and recruiter from the Fighting Irish. He leaves big shoes to fill.

Moving forward, there is going to be a national search for a suitable replacement. Although Coach McCullough is outstanding, there are some very good running back coach options out there. Here are some to know early on.

Tony Alford (Michigan)

This is the candidate you are going to hear the most about, and is the most likely early on in the process. Alford spent six seasons with Notre Dame from 2009-14. Since then, Alford has also coached running backs at Ohio State and Michigan. Considered a good coach and top-notch recruiter, Alford has been responsible for recruiting and tutoring the likes of JK Dobbins, TreyVeon Henderson, Josh Adams, Tarean Folston, Dexter Williams, Miyan Williams, and Master Teague on top of assisting with top recruits from other position groups.

Thomas Hammock (Northern Illinois)

Coach Hammock is a name that Notre Dame fans know far too well at this point, for the unfortunate reason that his Northern Illinois team defeated the Fighting Irish this season. A lot was made of the conversations between Hammock and head coach Marcus Freeman following the contest, but that relationship is an interesting part of this scenario. Why would someone leave a head coaching position to coach running backs at a different school?

Well, for one, because Hammock made just over $700,000 last season, which is actually less than Coach McCullough did for Notre Dame. Slap a run game coordinator or assistant head coach title on him, and this move makes even more sense. One could argue, and I would, that the position with the Irish could end up being more attractive than his Northern Illinois background for his head coaching future.

Add in the fact that Hammock previously spent time as the running backs coach with Northern Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Baltimore Ravens, and he should be a very easy sell as a running back coach. That background should be attractive to current players, as well as prospective recruits.

Ja’Juan Seider (Penn State)

People don’t talk enough about Seider, who has become one of the very best running back coaches in all of college football. He has been with Penn State since 2019, and has been instrumental in developing Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in recent seasons, as well as Journey Brown before his career was cut short due to injury. Seider also spent time coaching running backs at Marshall, West Virginia, and Florida previously. As a recruiter, he has been responsible for landing Singleton, Allen, Dameon Pierce, Quinton Martin Jr., Corey Smith, Messiah Mickens, and Noah Cain while also being heavily involved in recruiting Kyle Pitts and Zane Durant.

James Montgomery (Boise State)

Montgomery is going to be one of the hot commodities mentioned moving into the future. What he did with Ashton Jeanty the last couple of seasons has been nothing short of amazing. The former Cal and Washington State running back had previous stops at Sacramento State, Cal Poly, and Fresno State. Montgomery’s abilities as a recruiter are going to be the major question coming from that level, but he does have experience as a recruiting coordinator so operationally, Montgomery understands the process at a deep level.

Savon Huggins (Boston College)

This is probably more of an endorsement for the future, but Huggins is quickly gaining traction as one of the better young running back coaches in the business. The former Rutgers standout previously coached at UMass but has quickly made a quick ascension despite playing his last collegiate season just in 2015. Huggins also has a nice eye for talent, originally holding a commitment from Nolan James before he flipped to the Irish.

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