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In the three months since returning to Indiana for his second stint as running backs coach, Deland McCullough has wasted no time making an impact in the recruiting realm. Three of his sons, Deland II (Miami Ohio transfer), Dasan (2022 recruiting class) and Daeh (2023), each announced last month that they’ll join IU’s program in the near future.
And in the coming weeks, one of McCullough’s former pupils at Southern California may also consider Bloomington a worthy stop in his college football journey.
That’s according to 247 Sports USC writer Keely Eure, who broke news Tuesday that running back Stephen Carr is entering the transfer portal. Carr is a former five-star recruit in the 2017 class who was ranked as the No. 3 running back and the No. 20 overall prospect in the 247 Sports Composite during that cycle.
For USCFootball.com, Eure writes:
Sources have suggested Indiana could be a landing spot for Carr given his history with running backs coach Deland McCullough. Carr was coached by McCullough in 2017 for one season at USC prior to the running backs coach’s departure for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018.
Carr was the Trojans’ second-leading rusher as a freshman in 2017 under McCullough. He recorded 363 yards on 65 carries with three touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 188 yards. His 5.6 yards per carry on the ground and 11.1 yards per reception from his freshman season remain his career bests.
Interesting!
IU, which lost top running back Stevie Scott (undrafted free agent/New Orleans Saints) to the NFL after the 2020 season, returns scholarship players Sampson James, Tim Baldwin and David Ellis at the position. The Hoosiers also signed two running backs in three-stars David Holloman and Trenten Howland, though the latter is recovering from November surgery to repair an ACL injury suffered in a basketball drill, per the Chicago Sun-Times. Walk-ons Davion Ervin-Poindexter, Charlie Spegal and Ahrod Lloyd could also enter the mix.
It’s easy to connect the dots between Carr and McCullough, and we’ll see if mutual interest materializes as Carr evaluates his options. There’s going to be a competition for carries during fall camp, and given Tuesday’s news, perhaps that battle will include one more name than originally expected.