Four-star LB Jeffrey McCulloch opts to stay in state, commits to Texas

Four-star linebacker Jeffrey McCulloch committed to Texas on National Signing Day, picking the Longhorns over Alabama, Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas A&M.

Jeffrey McCulloch, the No. 43 overall prospect and the No. 3 outside linebacker in the 2016 recruiting class, per Scout.com, has committed to Texas.

The four-star recruit selected the Longhorns over Alabama, Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas A&M. A 6’3”, 225-pound talent out of Houston, McCulloch has said he models his game after J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.

Here is Scout.com’s player evaluation of McCulloch: “McCulloch has plus size and runs well for a linebacker. He is versatile and could probably play inside or outside, but excelled on the edge of the defense in high school. He is very good at shedding blockers and playing in traffic. He is a solid hitter, [but] needs to work more on form tackling at times instead of trying to deliver a knockout blow.”

Notre Dame was seen as a top candidate to land McCulloch in December, but Texas made a late push and ultimately secured the four-star prospect. McCulloch could provide an instant boost to a Longhorns defense that shined at times—it limited eventual College Football Playoff participant Oklahoma to 17 points in a win on Oct. 10—but underwhelmed at others, including when it lost 50–7 at TCU on Oct. 3.

Texas allowed 5.7 yards per play last fall, which ranked No. 58 nationally, and 30.3 points per game, which ranked No. 87.

McCulloch’s decision boosts Texas, whose recruiting class has already risen to No. 10 in the 2016 team rankings, according to Scout.com.

For coverage and analysis of all the latest commitments on National Signing Day, check out Signing Day Central.