Hoosiers Now

Former Ohio State Commit Dasan McCullough Flips to Indiana, Becomes Top Recruit Ever

Dasan McCullough, a linebacker who's ranked No. 50 overall in the Class of 2022, de-committed from Ohio State on Sunday to join his father, Deland McCullough at Indiana.

Tom Brew

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – It was a big deal when Indiana hired former Kansas City Chiefs running back coach Deland McCullough as its associate head coach and running backs coach in February. And now it's a full-blown package deal.

Dasan McCullough became the third football-playing son to also join the Hoosiers on Sunday, announcing on Twitter that he was de-committing from Ohio State and joining the family at Indiana. 

The four-star linebacker committed to Ohio State last August and he's considered one of the best defensive players in the country. 

“The chance to play with my brothers is huge!” McCullough told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong on Sunday. “Both of my brothers and be under my dad. I know what it’s like to play with both of them and that’s something that’s huge for me at the next level and a blessing that doesn’t come around a lot.”

McCullough's younger brother Daeh, a defensive back who will be a junior at Bloomington South high school this fall, committed to the Hoosiers two weeks ago. And then on Saturday, oldest brother, Deland II, announced he was transferring from Miami of Ohio to Indiana.

From the day that Deland McCullough was hired at Indiana, there was plenty of speculation about what might happen with Dasan's commitment to Ohio State. Aft first, he remained firmly committed to Ohio State, saying that his father's hiring "wasn't going to change anything.''

He even attended Ohio State's spring game last weekend, but once both of his brothers – and his father, of course – were all setting in Bloomington, he decided to do the same. Dasan is playing at Bloomington South this fall as well. 

“We’re all set on our own journeys,” McCullough told BuckeyesNow. “Obviously, he said, ‘It’s open if you want to,’ but he hasn’t pressured me into doing anything because he knew I was set with Ohio State. He hasn’t tried to do anything like that. It means a lot. I kind of expected that, though. He knows how this job works and he could be anywhere two years from now. He’s going to support me wherever I want to go on my journey.”

The family foursome, though, is too much to say no to.

“The chance to play with my brothers is huge!” McCullough told 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong on Sunday. “Both of my brothers and be under my dad. I know what it’s like to play with both of them and that’s something that’s huge for me at the next level and a blessing that doesn’t come around a lot.”

McCullough is ranked No. 50 overall in the 247Sports Composite rankings, which makes him the highest-ranked commit that Indiana has ever had. He is the second Indiana commitment in the 2022 class, along with Kaiden Turner, a three-star linebacker from Fayetteville, Ark. 

Related stories on Indiana football

  • DARNELL McCULLOUGH A HAPPY MOM: In our SI Daily Indiana centerpiece, Darnell McCullough takes us behind the scenes on how three of her sons wound up all committing to Indiana in the past two weeks. CLICK HERE
  • BRONCOS SELECT JAMAR JOHNSON: Former Indiana safety Jamar Johnson was selected by Denver Broncos in the sixth round on Saturday, and he called it "a dream come true.'' CLICK HERE
  • 4 HOOSIERS SIGN: Whop Philyor, Stevie Scott, Harry Crider and Jerome Johnson all signed undrafted free agent deals on Saturday after the draft. CLICK HERE
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Tom Brew
TOM BREW

Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist who has worked at some of America's finest newspapers as a reporter and editor, including the Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times, the Indianapolis Star and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered college sports in the digital platform for the past six years, including the last five years as publisher of HoosiersNow on the FanNation/Sports Illustrated network.

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