Hoosiers’ Signature Catchphrase Takes on a New Meaning with the McCullough Family

The Athletic

Written by Evan Orris

By the time Tom Allen established the “LEO” mantra for the Hoosiers, Deland McCullough was in Kansas City as a member of the Chiefs coaching staff. Still, McCullough, who was Indiana’s running backs coach for five seasons, admired the program that Allen created from afar.

“A level of foundation was laid years ago, and Coach Allen and the rest of the coaching staff have taken and expanded that,” McCullough said. “Just the culture. LEO is not just a catchphrase. It's a way of life around here. It's very evident to me and I'm just glad to be a part of that.”

McCullough is a family man himself. He had plenty of other jobs to choose from but chose the place that would welcome him and his family with open arms. Bloomington was the place that offered just that, and McCullough could not deny a return to the place his family used to call home.

“Clearly, my family is very important to me,” McCullough said. “My wife and my sons, those are my top priorities. Those guys being happy and, in a situation, to be successful, I’m excited about that.”

Luckily enough for the Hoosiers, the McCullough’s breed football players. The youngest McCullough, Daeh, is a class of 2023 commit. He is not rated yet but figures to be highly ranked. The middle child, Dasan, recently proved that blood is thicker than water by spurning Big Ten rivals Ohio State for the Hoosiers. Meanwhile, the oldest son, Deland, transferred from Miami (OH) this past week.

Now the McCullough’s will stick together in Bloomington. The family hopes to build on something special for the next half-decade at least. Like the McCullough’s, Coach Allen will continue to draw in more recruits with his signature mantra of “LEO.”

“The environment is being built here. Excited to go out and really sell the program and put the program on display. You want to hope to continue to draw the right type of players to keep everything moving forward.”