OU coach Brent Venables has officially announced the hiring of two new assistant coaches.
The Sooners are hiring Deland McCullough as their new running backs coach and LaMar Morgan as their cornerbacks coach. McCullough was most recently the Las Vegas running backs coach, while Morgan was the defensive backs coach at Michigan.
“I’m incredibly excited about the addition of two fantastic football coaches, great men, great leaders,” Venables said in a statement. “Our players are going to love learning under them. Both jobs were highly coveted, and we went through exhaustive searches for both positions. Deland and LaMar separated from the pack with their extensive experience, their knowledge and their ability to teach, lead, fit in with our staff and connect on the recruiting trail. There was no compromise in any of those areas and both knocked it out of the park during the interview process. Our players will be the beneficiary of their leadership, coaching and development.
McCullough replaces DeMarco Murray, who left for the Kansas City Chiefs after six seasons in Norman. McCullough is regarded as one of the best running backs coaches in the country, spending time at Indiana, USC, Notre Dame and the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, he takes over an OU running back unit that is looking to improve in 2026.
“Deland has an impeccable reputation as a leader, a teacher and a motivator,” Venables said. “His experience is exceptional and he had a strong reputation going into the interview process. We had a previous relationship, but that was a parent-coach relationship. Now we were recruiting him in a different way. I just love Deland’s respect for and desire to align with a university power like Oklahoma. He had great familiarity with some of our players from the recruiting process while he was at Notre Dame. I was really just excited for his hunger to be at a place like OU. On top of everything else, there was just great alignment between us. From a development and leadership standpoint, he’s going to have tremendous impact on day one.”
Morgan replaces Jay Valai, who left for the Buffalo Bills after four years at OU. Morgan has had several stops in his coaching career, most notably being with the Wolverines the past two years.
“The most impressive thing about LaMar during the interview process was his football acumen,” Venables said. “He’s got extensive experience as a play-caller, and that was among a handful of factors that separated him from the rest of the pack. What also stood out is who he is as a teacher. He’s a great relationship-driven coach and I love his passion, his fire, his energy and the details he coaches with, as well as how he’s able to motivate and get the best out of his guys. He’s a fantastic recruiter, wonderful human being, husband and father. As a coach, he’s tough and demanding, but the players are going to love his passion and energy he brings to the building every single day.”
Read the full press release from Venables here.