Indiana Freshman Dasan McCullough Enters Transfer Portal

Dasan McCullough was the highest-ranked recruit in program history, but he's leaving the Indiana football program after one season.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – He wasn't the first and he won't be the last, but Dasan McCullough's decision to enter the transfer portal is one of the biggest losses  Indiana will experience this offseason.

On Sunday night, McCullough – the highest-ranked recruit in Indiana football history – announced he's entering the transfer portal, which officially opened on Dec. 5. 

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— Dasan Mccullough (@Dasan2022) December 5, 2022

McCullough made an immediate impact at Indiana as a true freshman, recording 49 total tackles, four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, he had the speed and strength to play Big Ten football from day one, and his potential remains sky high.

Listed as an outside linebacker, McCullough lined up in various spots along the defensive front with the ability to rush the passer, stop the run and even drop back in coverage. He earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention and was one of the conference's top freshmen. 

Just a year ago, Indiana had Dasan McCullough preparing for his freshman year, his father Deland McCullough as running backs coach and younger brother Daeh McCullough committed in the class of 2023 as a four-star recruit. But in 2023, all three will play or coach elsewhere. Deland left Indiana for the Notre Dame running backs coach job in February, and Daeh flipped his commitment from Indiana to Cincinnati over the summer.

This is a brutal loss for Indiana, a program that has already seen 10 players enter the transfer portal with plenty more to come. McCullough was a foundational piece for the future of the Indiana defense, which will look completely different in 2022. 

As it stands, Indiana has already lost 10 of its top 13 tacklers from the 2022 season to graduation or the transfer portal, and that number could continue to increase this week. Cornerback Tiawan Mullen, linebacker Aaron Casey and defensive back Noah Pierre are still on the roster, but Mullen has played four years in college and considered leaving Indiana for the NFL Draft after the 2021 season. Pierre and Casey have a sixth year of eligibility if they choose to return. 

Indiana will be especially thin at linebacker with Cam Jones, Bradley Jennings Jr. and Lance Bryant out of eligibility. Allen will have to look to the transfer portal for linebackers because Indiana has zero linebacker commits in the class of 2023. Matt Hohlt, Myles Jackson, Jared Casey and Kaiden Turner are currently the only returning linebackers with any significant experience. 

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