Indiana's Donaven McCulley More Comfortable, Lean Entering Year Two at Wide Receiver

Donaven McCulley transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver before the 2022 season, and now, with a year under his belt and some physical adjustments, McCulley feels more comfortable and ready to contribute to Indiana's offense.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After a lifetime at quarterback, year one at wide receiver came with mixed results for Indiana's Donaven McCulley.

His potential was obvious. With a 6-foot-5 frame, he boasted athleticism capable of leaping above defenders to snatch passes out of the sky. He caught 16 passes for 169 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown at Ohio State. He even took a shotgun snap and ran through the middle of Idaho's defense for a touchdown.

But as the season went on, it became clear that his game needed fine-tuning. McCulley said he tried to be a sponge in year one, learning the intricacies of the wide receiver position. He felt he caught the ball well last year, but knew he needed to work on getting out of his breaks with more efficiency, staying flexible and releasing quicker off the line of scrimmage.

McCulley's development into a polished Big Ten wide receiver was never going to be immediate, but entering his second season at the position, Indiana needs him to take the next step. 13 days into a 15-day spring practice schedule, he feels on track to do so. 

"This year I'm way more comfortable," McCulley said after Tuesday's practice. "Even with the playbook, the linemen, what are the receivers supposed to do. So I'm kind of just coming into my own at that position."

Noah Pierre, a returning leader on the Indiana defense, has always seen flashes from McCulley, but he's been even more impressed this spring.

"He's gonna be good," Pierre said. "You could always tell he was like a natural receiver. I'm pretty sure he played basketball, so he's good with up-balls and stuff like that. But he's taken his game to the next level, I feel like, when he's route-running and stuff like that, too."

Donaven McCulley. 😱@donavenmcculley x @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/96qVfYJHPg

— Indiana On BTN (@IndianaOnBTN) September 17, 2022

Part of this change has been thanks to a shift in his off-the-field focus. In 2022, McCulley felt he was too heavy and that he couldn't run as well as he needed to, so he shed about eight pounds this offseason and dropped his body fat percentage from 10 to between seven and eight. 

A self-proclaimed "big sweets guy," McCulley has done away with Skittles and other snacks, opting for a diet centered around chicken and rice. He credits Indiana's Director of Football Performance, Aaron Wellman, as well as the team nutritionist, Isaac Hicks III, for helping him make this change. McCulley now feels more lean and flexible, which has helped with his on-the-field quickness.

McCulley said he's been working after practice with fellow receivers Cam Camper and Kamryn Perry on his releases, which he considered a weakness last year. The group has a new wide receivers coach, too, and McCulley's eyes lit up when asked about Anthony Tucker, who joined the Indiana coaching staff in February.

"He's going to make sure you get everything right," McCulley said of Tucker. "He's going to make sure you do everything correctly. He's going to coach you extremely hard. He's not going to let you be lazy or loaf, none of that, so I like coach Tucker. He just pushes you to the max. When he first got here, he was kind of quiet. He didn't say much, he just kind of coached and did his job. But now, he really gets on us and in the meeting rooms and stuff, and we laugh a lot now. We're just becoming closer and closer."

Indiana's Donaven McCulley (1) celebrates a first down during the second half of the Indiana versus Purdue football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 :: Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Indiana's wide receiver room contains a trio of tall pass-catchers with potential to create mismatches. Along with the 6-foot-5 McCulley, 6-foot-2 Cam Camper – Indiana's leading receiver in 2022 – is aiming to return for Week 1 against Ohio State after tearing his ACL at Rutgers on Oct. 22. McCulley said he's tried to take certain moves from Camper due to their similar style of play.

Indiana also brought in Clemson transfer E.J. Williams, who stands at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. 

"E.J., he's a guy for real," McCulley said. "We're kind of the same size, too, so we kind of play alike. I kind of think of him as like my twin on the other side, really."

At Lawrence North High School, McCulley competed against Tayven Jackson, who won two state titles at Center Grove High School, and the two have been working on their connection during spring practice. Jackson is currently competing with fellow redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby for the starting job.

"Tayven's really good," McCulley said. "He has a great ball, really, it's catchable. After practice and stuff like that, we really work on routes and stuff. Before spring started we were working on routes and just catching and getting our chemistry together, so I have really good chemistry with Tayven."

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