Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley North linebacker Dasan McCullough is still hoping to paly out his junior season of high school football this fall, but the four-star prospect eliminated the uncertainty of where he will play his college career on Tuesday, announcing a commitment to Ohio State.
“I just felt that was the right choice for me being an Ohio kid,” McCullough said. “Being born in Ohio, raised there and always growing up a Big Ten kid. It’s a blessing and I’m really excited to be a Buckeye.”
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McCullough is the son of Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough. Prior to joining the Chiefs, the elder McCullough coached at the collegiate level with the Indiana Hoosiers and USC Trojans after fulfilling various coaching and administrative roles at Harmony Community High School in Cincinnati.
It was during his father’s time in the Cincinnati area that Dasan was born and spent the early years of his youth. His older brother, Deland McCullough II, also chose to return to the Buckeye State, signing with Miami (Ohio) in the class of 2019. Extended family on both his mother and father’s side still reside in Ohio.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in front of my parents and playing in front of my whole entire family,” McCullough said. “Playing for Ohio State is playing at the biggest level of that. I want to win National Championships and bring them back to my family.”
With the addition of McCullough, Ohio State now has commitments from three of the top four outside linebacker prospects in the 2022 class and all three are ranked in the top 25 of the just-released Rivals250. Five-star C.J. Hicks committed to the Buckeyes in May, and four-star Gabe Powers joined the class earlier this month.
“I talk to C.J. a lot, probably every day. He’s one of my everyday friends now,” McCullough said. “We talk about it a lot, the things me and are going to do at Ohio State and it’s going to be special, definitely. Also, with Gabe and whoever the fourth one we bring in, it’s going to be a historical group.”
McCullough was initially rated as a safety prospect because that is the position he played as a sophomore. At Ohio State, though, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound athlete will roll up into the front seven.
“They plan to use me as a SAM linebacker, someone who can cover the post, blitz off the edge and also man up on the tight ends,” McCullough said. “It’s a real hybrid position and something I am excited to get into.”
McCullough is also playing more of a hybrid role for Blue Valley North this season, assuming one happens. He will still have some safety elements incorporated into his role, but also be able to come off the edge and play in the box.
With McCullough on board, Ohio State now has five commitments in its 2022 class, which ranks second overall behind only LSU.
