Tag: Dasan McCullough

Led by a pair of defenders, 11 Sooners named to Athlon Sports preseason All-Big 12 teams

Led by Ethan Downs and Danny Stutsman, 11 Oklahoma Sooners featured in Athlon Sports 2023 preseason All-Big 12 teams.

The Oklahoma Sooners are due for a bounce-back season after their 6-7 campaign in 2022. While there are question marks, the Sooners look like a team with improved talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Some of that improvement is simply due to progression and more time spent in the system. The other part is Brent Venables and his staff hit the transfer portal to add players that can make a significant impact in 2023.

Still a few months away from the start of the 2023 college football season, Athlon Sports Steve Lassan released his All-Big 12 preseason teams, and 11 Oklahoma Sooners were featured. Six were from the offensive side of the ball, and five were on defense, including two newcomers. One player earned a pair of distinctions. Here’s a look at the Sooners who were named to Athlon’ Sports’ preseason All-Big 12 team.

Oklahoma No. 4 in On3’s post-spring Big 12 power rankings

On3 has Oklahoma ranked fourth in their post-spring rankings. The Sooners have a lot of potential, but have a lot to prove in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners have worked to improve the roster after their 6-7 season. What Brent Venables and his staff have done to add talent on both sides of the ball has created a sense of optimism despite the results in 2022.

In On3’s post-spring rankings. Texas, Kansas State, and TCU are ahead of Oklahoma, who comes in at No. 4.

Jesse Simonton has the Sooners at No. 4 because of the question marks Oklahoma is dealing with heading into the summer.

Unlike the Longhorns though, Brent Venables’ team has a few more question marks entering the fall. They do bring back QB Dillon Gabriel, and have a great insurance option in 5-star freshman Jackson Arnold. But are a young group of receivers ready to step up?

Has Venables & Co., fixed a defense that was a sieve in 2022 is the biggest uncertainty. The Sooners did sign a Top 5 recruiting class, with several freshmen pieces like 5-star safety Peyton Bowen expected to contribute early. They also added multiple likely starters via the portal, headlined by Indiana Freshman All-American Dasan McCullough — a Swiss Army hybrid linebacker/safety. – Simonton, On3 Sports

Simonton isn’t as confident in what the Sooners can do to answer some of the questions they have coming into the season. Still, the talent that Oklahoma has brought in is intriguing.

Dillon Gabriel should be one of the best quarterbacks in the country next season, but there are some questions at wide receiver in addition to the offensive line, where health was a major issue this spring. A lot of the intrigue comes from what the Sooners can do on defense now, with more time for Brent Venables to get things right talent-wise and returning players becoming more acclimated in the system.

TCU coming in ahead of the Sooners makes sense from a certain point of view. After that miracle run last year, the team is undergoing a massive makeover with eight players headed to the NFL, including Max Duggan, Quentin Johnston, and Kendre Miller. Still, Sonny Dykes brings back a good amount from last year and brought in a big transfer portal class.

Kansas State ranked ahead of Oklahoma is a bit of a head-scratcher. They’re also a team with a few question marks. They had a strong transfer portal haul, especially on defense, and will have some good quarterback stability with Will Howard. But the losses of Deuce Vaughn and Felix Anudike-Uzomah will be felt in Manhattan.

Many are projecting Texas to take a giant leap forward this year. They’re loaded on the offensive line, at tight end, and at receiver and will get a healthy Quinn Ewers back at quarterback. The defense also brings back six starters and should be improved.

It will be interesting to see how these rankings shape out once the season starts because the top four teams should be set. A program like Texas Tech will have something to say along the way as one of the dark horses in the Big 12.

For Oklahoma, they need the defense to be significantly better than it was in 2022 in order to contend for the Big 12 in their final season. The Sooners have dominated the conference but haven’t won the Big 12 title since 2020. With everything that’s gone on since the Sooners beat Iowa State in the Big 12 title game and Florida in the Cotton Bowl, 2020 feels like forever ago.

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Oklahoma trying to land a pair of brothers, offering Dominick and Darryus McKinley this spring

Dominick and Darryus McKinely both have offers from the Oklahoma Sooners. The eldest, Dominic, plans to take an official to Norman in June.

Oklahoma has the chance to have as many as four pairs of brothers on its roster in the coming years. It’s beginning to add a new meaning to the term “brotherhood” that head coach Brent Venables is working to create in Norman.

A true freshman and former five-star safety, Peyton Bowen, was one of the more high-profile signings for this roster in recent years. Peyton’s little brother plays cornerback at Denton Guyer High School. Eli Bowen holds an Oklahoma offer and could be a Sooner when his recruitment ends.

Current Sooner Dasan McCullough was a big get in the transfer portal for Brent Venables. He’ll likely start at cheetah for Oklahoma. They also added his little brother Daeh McCullough, a four-star safety in the 2023 cycle, providing a pair of athletic defenders that were essentially a package deal. They’ll both be on campus together for the first time this summer.

2024 commit Michael Hawkins’ younger brother Maliek plays defensive back and holds an offer from the Sooners. Maliek Hawkins, a 2025 prospect, is a talented, aggressive cornerback out of Frisco Emerson High School. Brent Venables’ ties to the Hawkins family run deep. He coached the brothers’ father, Mike, during his stint with the Sooners in 2002.

That brings us to the possibility another brother duo. 2024 five-star Dominick McKinley holds an offer from Oklahoma and plans to take an official visit to Norman in June. His younger brother Darryus is a 2026 defensive line prospect who also holds an offer from Oklahoma. While neither recruitment is anywhere near over, the possibility of the Sooners having another duo of brothers is incredible.

For the McKinleys, only time will tell.

Dominick is a five-star prospect on the 247Sports composite, and he hails from Louisiana. Pulling an elite defensive line prospect away from the grasp of the LSU Tigers may prove futile, but the Sooners’ defensive coaches aren’t backing down from that challenge. The eldest McKinley holds offers from Ohio State, Alabama, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, among others.

McKinley will be in College Station to visit the Aggies the weekend of June 9 through 11. Visits are set for Ohio State on June 2, Oklahoma on June 16, and Texas on June 23.

It will be a busy summer for the five-star prospect, who’s the No. 1 player in the state of Louisiana. Oklahoma will make a strong push as they work to put together a defensive line class that can lead set them up for success with their move to the SEC on the horizon.

The possibilities of the defensive line class the Sooners could land are endless. There’s no turning back now. And if the Sooners were to land the eldest McKinley brother, it would all but put them in a very strong position to land the youngest for the class of 2026.

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‘This defense is one of none’: Dasan McCullough confident in OU defense after spring game

After a strong spring game performance, linebacker Dasan McCullough is confident in Oklahoma Sooners defense moving forward.

The Oklahoma Sooners spring game provided an opportunity to see several new faces that joined the squad this spring. One of the more highly anticipated players to watch in this year’s Red-White game was Indiana transfer Dasan McCullough.

Coming over from the Hoosiers, McCullough made the move from defensive end/edge rusher to Brent Venables’ cheetah linebacker position. As a former high school safety, McCullough is familiar with playing in space, but he showed quite the comfort level in a strong performance that has Sooners’ observers buzzing.

McCullough made an impact on the first play of the game, deflecting Drake Stoops’ pass attempt, setting the tone for a defense that came out strong in the opening quarter.

Making the switch didn’t look all that taxing. McCullough was flying around, running sideline to sideline to make plays, playing fast to the football, and showing off his physicality in the run game, stuffing Gavin Sawchuk on a short-yardage run for little to no gain.

There’s a need for McCullough and the rest of the Sooners’ defense to take a step this season. And a lot will be riding on how well the former four-star player can get a handle on his new position. With just one spring in the books, it doesn’t look like that will be a problem.

“Just from like a technique standpoint, from practice number one to (practice) 15 has been a crazy improvement,” McCullough said after the game. “Just learning different checks and how Coach Venables really wants to write his defense has been the most challenging part. Really just time has gotten me better. Just time and reps is all I needed.”

In just 15 practices and a spring game, McCullough looks like he’ll be an impactful player on a defense that had a nice day overall on Saturday in the spring game.

For Oklahoma’s defensive unit, there’s only room to get better. They were 122nd in yards allowed in 2022 and 99th in scoring defense. They’ll improve on both of those rankings this year. By how much is still to be determined. But if the early returns from the spring game are any indication, this is a much more talented roster on the defensive side of the ball than it was this time a year ago.

Though the Big 12 schedule will be the proof in the pudding, McCullough and the defense provided a glimpse of that improvement on Saturday.

“I feel like I played really well,” McCullough shared. “There’s some little things I definitely need to work on. I had a little tweak in my knee so that’s why I stopped playing, but I’ll be all good. I think the defense did great today. I think the defense had a really good day. Just some little details we got to clean up, but that’s normal spring ball stuff, so not too major.”

Though there are things to improve on, McCullough likes where the defense is and has the belief that this team is going to be really good.

“I feel like, as a group, this defense is one of none,” McCullough said. “We have guys at every position, and we have depth, too. I think we’re gonna make a great run.”

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10 Sooners who stood out in the Oklahoma Red-White Game

There were quite a few strong performances in the Oklahoma Sooners’ annual Red-White game. Here are 10 players who stood out.

The 2022 season didn’t temper the enthusiasm of a fan base that hadn’t seen a losing season since the Clinton administration. 54,509 people showed up to support the Oklahoma Sooners in the spring game. And they were treated to quite the show.

The annual Red-White game provided an opportunity to get a sneak preview into what the Oklahoma Sooners could be in the 2023 season. Though it’s hard to extrapolate performances to the regular season, there were players that stood out.

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Here are ten that flashed on Saturday in the spring game.

Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game: A Celebration for Kyler Murray & a Look at the Improved Roster

Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold shined bright, and the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense debuted a number of playmakers at their annual spring game.

Last season was a disappointing first season for Brent Venables after he came in to replace Lincoln Riley. The excitement was still there this Saturday afternoon, with an announced attendance of 54,409 for fans eager to see how improved this Oklahoma team can be and also to celebrate [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

How did the Offense Look?

Overall, the offense looked good but was hard to gauge with the offensive line not completely intact, especially with not all of the projected starters available for this game.

Dillon Gabriel picked up where he left off last year and looked good most of the game, except for the interception he threw to true freshman, Peyton Bowen. He threw three touchdowns in the game and split reps with true freshman Jackson Arnold against the first-team defense. Gabriel threw touchdown passes to Jalil Farooq, Blake Smith, and Gavin Sawchuk.

A lot of eyes were on Jackson Arnold coming into this game because of how highly touted he was coming to Norman. He played well, providing a glimpse of what’s to come in Norman.

On his second play of the day, he burst through the defense with a 53-yard yard run, but it was called back after he was ruled down by the defense.

He later threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Freeman to tie the game for the Sooners at the end. His throw on the ensuing two-point conversion was dropped by Jayden Gibson in the back of the end zone.

His stat line for the day ended with him going 5 for 13 for 63 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times behind a makeshift offensive line.

Does the Defense Look Improved?

In short, yes. The defense’s playmakers were mostly on full display in the spring game.

Dasan McCullough was a standout for the Sooner defense, with two tackles and two pass breakups in the first quarter. McCullough comes over from Indiana and should have an immediate impact for Brent Venables’ defense in the linebacking corps.

Reggie Pearson was another newcomer that was a standout on defense for the Sooners. The safety transfer out of Texas Tech had 3.5 tackles and one pass breakup. He brings a much-needed physicality to the Sooner secondary.

Kip Lewis flashed at linebacker for Oklahoma. After not playing much last year, he seems primed to be a tackling machine after racking up a few stops early on in the spring game.

Peyton Bowen got a ton of attention for his recruitment and how he eventually ended up at Oklahoma, but now that he’s here, his talent is on full display. He played a deep route beautifully, intercepting Dillon Gabriel in the first quarter.

True freshman Jasiah Wagoner got a lot of run with the first team on Saturday and really showed out. The coaching staff has spoken all spring of the work he’s done, and the spring game provided the first glimpse of what’s to come for the four-star cornerback. Wagoner’s job isn’t set in stone, but this is huge for a true freshman at Oklahoma.

Other Takeaways

It was great to see everyone honoring Kyler Murray. It was a reminder of how electric he really was when he won the Heisman Trophy back in 2018. He’s now enshrined forever at Heisman Park.

The crowd support was great to see with how disappointing last season was. That support just shows that faith in Venables hasn’t waivered.

The scoring was…odd. It made sense because of the injuries plaguing Oklahoma’s offensive line and tight end group. The final score was Defense 84 and Offense 82. Beyond the scoring, the Sooners had a number of players make their presence felt.

Now comes the long wait for the season opener against Arkansas State.

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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 2023 Spring Game

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game!

Oklahoma football is back. Well, sort of. The Oklahoma football team took the field in public for the first time since the Cheez-It Bowl in December. Team 129 stepped out and participated in its 2023 spring game in front of a raucous home crowd and a list of more than 60 recruits across four classes.

As many fans and former players descended upon Norman, the energy felt unmatched from the beginning. Brent Venables spoke before the game, and the red and white teams got underway. It was a competitive atmosphere and a competitive game all told.

The target score for points was 84, and the two sides entered the fourth quarter well within reach.  The defense won a thriller as the game came down to a two-point conversion after Jackson Arnold linked up with sophomore wide receiver Gavin Freeman to tie the game. The defense got the stop and the points after Jayden Gibson dropped what would have been a game-winner.

We saw strong efforts from returning players on both sides of the ball and encouraging performances from new faces, whether it be freshmen or transfers.

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Here are our five takeaways from the 2023 spring game.

USA TODAY Sports believes the Oklahoma Sooners could have TCU type run to playoff in 2023

After a down year in 2022, Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports believes the Sooners have a chance to make a TCU-like run to the College Football Playoff in 2023.

The 2023 season about Oklahoma is all about improving upon what was a disappointing 2022 season. Their spring game provides the first glimpse of what could be this season. Though it’s hard to fully grasp what Oklahoma is going to be until we see them against Big 12 competition in the fall, the spring game will give us an idea of who will be significant players for the Sooners this season.

Though Oklahoma’s defense struggled last season, there’s no reason they can’t have a bounce-back year in 2023. Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports believes the Sooners could go on a TCU-like run and return to the playoff.

The program’s first losing finish since 1998 should yield a noticeable rebound in Brent Venables’ second season. But how high can the Sooners climb? Venables has flipped the roster with a top-five recruiting class and another dozen transfers, including huge pickups such as offensive tackle Walter Rouse (Stanford), hybrid linebacker Dasan McCullough (Indiana) and edge rusher Trace Ford (Oklahoma State). But Oklahoma needs to beef up an average pass rush, develop a go-to receiver for quarterback Dillon Gabriel and sort out a rotation at running back and in the secondary. If Venables has things pointed in the right direction, the Sooners will benefit from a schedule has just four games outside of Oklahoma, one the neutral-site rivalry in Dallas against Texas. – Myerberg, USA TODAY Sports

The transfer portal class will have to be big-time for the Sooners. There’s a lot riding on players like [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], and [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] to help raise the talent on the roster.

The Sooners have done an excellent job over the last couple of years on the recruiting trail, but most of the 2023 class won’t be ready to contribute in a significant way this year, and the 2022 class is still working to get on the field.

With the schedule the Sooners have, there’s a chance they could put themselves in a position to contend for the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag]. But they won’t have a lot of room for error. Also, because of the schedule they have. THere aren’t a lot of “statement games” on the schedule in 2023, so they won’t be able to afford multiple losses. Given the depth of the Big 12 and that Oklahoma hasn’t had a season with one loss or fewer since 2019, a playoff berth is possible, but a tough road.

If the Sooners can make significant improvements on the defensive side of the ball while maintaining their scoring level from a season ago, they’ll have as good a shot as any to make a run at a playoff berth. But until we see the defense take that step forward, it’s difficult to project Oklahoma as a playoff team.

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5 things we’re watching for at Oklahoma’s spring game

Oklahoma has its spring game this weekend, and we’ve got five things we’ll be looking at for Oklahoma’s spring debut of team 129.

Team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history takes the field publically for the first time on Saturday afternoon. It’s a game and weekend that means a lot to the team, staff, fanbase, and recruits.

Oklahoma comes into this spring off the heels of its worst season in over 20 years. The Sooners were a rough watch at times. Despite that, they still found themselves in a bowl game against a talented Florida State team.

Oklahoma lost the likes of [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag], and [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] to the NFL Draft process.

The Sooners saw players transfer out but also welcomed in a number of players from their top-five recruiting class. The Sooners attacked the portal with some serious intensity bringing in impact transfers on both sides of the ball.

It’s now time for the world to at least get a glimpse of some of these new Sooners while getting a chance to see how the returning players improved from last year.

Here are our top five storylines heading into the spring game.

Can transfer portal additions fix the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense?

The Sooners were aggressive in the defensive transfer portal market, but will that be enough to right the ship of Oklahoma’s defense?

Year one in Norman of the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] era didn’t go the way many expected. Particularly on the defensive side of the football.

It was a team that looked really good in nonconference wins over UTEP, Kent State, and Nebraska, only to flounder when they got to Big 12 play. The Sooners allowed an average of 34.7 points per game against Big 12 opponents and Florida State over their final 10 games.

Over at CBS Sports, Shehan Jeyarajah asked asked one question for each of the Big 12 schools, and for the Sooners, everything comes back to the defense. Jeyarajayh asks, “can the transfer portal fix the defense?”

Sooners coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] leaned heavily on the transfer portal in his first season, ultimately flipping 40% of the roster. Results were decidedly disastrous as Oklahoma went 6-7, its worst record since 1998, the year before Bob Stoops took over. The defense was perhaps the worst of Venables’ career, too, finishing No. 122 in total defense behind FIU, Louisiana-Monroe and Hawaii.

Oklahoma brought in an elite defensive recruiting class, finishing No. 4 in the high school composite rankings, but it will once again rely on transfers to fill major holes. Two defenders — safety Reggie Pearson and defensive lineman [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] — come from Big 12 opponents (Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, respectively). Defensive lineman [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] moves up from Texas State, while linebacker [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] ranked as one of the best players in the portal. Oklahoma finished bottom-30 nationally in both rushing and passing defense despite ranking among the league leaders in both interceptions and sacks. Havoc plays won’t save Oklahoma; the Sooners need a full-scale upgrade. – Jeyarajah, CBS Sports

In addition to McCullough, Pearson, Ford, and Sears, the Sooners added [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag] to their defensive front. Veteran players that will factor into the defensive line rotation immediately. Bothroyd comes over from Wake Forest with great production over the last two seasons.

In 2021 and 2022, Bothroyd had 93 total tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks. He’s a player that can play defensive end in multiple fronts and can play defensive tackle in pass-rushing situations as well. With his production, Bothroyd could have gone to the NFL and been drafted in the top 100-150 players in 2023.

But it isn’t just the transfer portal additions that will make this team better in 2023. Many of the guys returning were playing significant roles or starting for the first time in 2022. Guys like [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] were all first-time starters last season.

It was also a new system for those guys last year. Heading into year two of the Brent Venables era, they have an opportunity to build on their experiences from the 2022 season. Everything that happened in 2022, the good and the bad, were valuable experiences for a defense that isn’t simply looking to be good but to be great.

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