Will Dasan McCullough Spurn Big Ten rivals to Stay Home in Bloomington?

Written by Evan Orris

When the Hoosiers hired Deland McCullough this spring, they received more than they were asking for. Not only did McCullough bring his NFL experience back to Bloomington, but he also brought his two sons, Deland McCullough II and Deah McCullough, with him. The only missing piece to the family puzzle is the class of 2022 Ohio State commit Dasan McCullough.

McCullough committed to Ohio State in the summer of 2020. He remains committed to the Buckeyes, but it may be tough for Dasan to go against the family.

The four-star safety would make an immediate impact on the Hoosiers defense. As a member of Blue Valley North in Overland Park, Kan., McCullough accounted for 75 tackles, six of them for losses, six pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and four interceptions. 

At 6’5”, 220 lbs., McCullough played safety, wide receiver, cornerback, and defensive end in high school. Many. scouts project him to play primarily as an edge rusher with his lean build and length. Gabe Brooks of 247sports.com provided a scouting report on McCullough.

“Exceptional height with plus length. Lean build with tons of space to add mass. Experience at numerous positions, including receiver, edge, off-ball linebacker, cornerback, and safety. Started out looking like a big safety but high frame potential likely leads to long-term defensive edge projection. Varied positional experience aids in ball skills and impact playmaking ability. Disruptive at the catch point thanks to length and awareness. Redirects fairly well relative to long-levered build. Good downhill juice vs. the run and strong enough to provide the big hit as a tackler. Not afraid to attack gaps and play in the box from safety. Has flashed some traffic-shedding ability vs. the run against high school competition but will need to add bulk and strengthen to consistently do that in college. If playing from the edge, that strength will particularly be needed, as well as developing a pass-rush move set. Concerns exist over position projection, but that may be reading into it too much. Given physical tools and multi-positional experience, potential should be quite high. Unique athlete with strong on-field profile. Projects to the high-major level with a ceiling in the top half of the NFL Draft.” Writes Brooks.

If McCullough deters the Buckeyes for the Hoosiers, it would be a monumental turn for the program. Not only would they gain a top recruit, but they would also steal a recruit from a Big Ten rival.  247 Sports recruiting expert Steve Wiltfong put in a crystal ball prediction for McCullough to flip to IU.