Front Seven Defenders
The sign that Oklahoma’s defense is on a positive trajectory is the number of players on the defensive side of the ball and two more players found themselves in the CBS Sports top 151.
127. Dasan McCullough, Cheetah
[autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] is an interesting player. He has a wealth of talent and provides juice as a pass rusher and edge defender. He was a huge part of Oklahoma’s goal-line stand last year. His problem is staying on the field. He dealt with minor injuries last season and is dealing with a minor injury again during fall camp.
McCullough plays a hybrid linebacker role and wears a ton of hats. He was very effective in his first season at Oklahoma after transferring from Indiana. The former elite recruit is a versatile, explosive and effective in all phases. He’ll have an expanded role this year with a year of Brent Venables’ scheme under his belt and will likely be playing on Sundays in 2025. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports
130. Ethan Downs, DE
[autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] deserves some love. He’s been a steady force for the Sooners the last three seasons amid all of the turnover up front. He’s had 4 1/2 sacks per season in each of the last two years and will benefit from improved defensive tackle play.
Downs has been a disruptive force off the edge, starting 25 games the last two seasons. He’s a high-effort player who can turn the edge and harass quarterbacks as well as hold up in the run game. – Brockermeyer, CBS Sports