'He's a Unicorn': Dasan McCullough to Play Role in Replacing Micah McFadden
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Indiana coach Tom Allen was a linebacker in his playing days. Throughout his ascent from Temple Heights High School to Lambuth University, Ole Miss and Indiana, Allen coached linebackers at every stop.
The position was even passed down to his son, Thomas, who played linebacker for the Hoosiers for five seasons and is now part of the Indiana coaching staff. It's fair to say the word 'linebacker' is deeply embedded in Allen's DNA.
It's also why he understands how big of a loss Micah McFadden – Indiana's All-American, leading tackler the last three seasons and current New York Giant – will be for the Hoosiers approaching the 2022 season.
"You're only as good as your linebackers," Allen said.
As he searches for players to help replace McFadden, Allen is evaluating his linebackers on two specific traits: production and leadership.
The obvious candidate to fill the All-American-sized hole in the middle of Indiana's defense is Cam Jones, who returns for his fifth season at Indiana. A team captain the last two years, Jones has posted 154 tackles across 42 games for the Hoosiers. At Big Ten Media Days on July 26, Jones said his mindset is to attack everything.
Allen said Jones has responded in a huge way to Indiana's efforts of reversing the program's momentum after a 2-10 season. Jones has become more of a leader in his final year of college football, and he's showing younger players and incoming transfers what it takes to play in the Big Ten.
"I tested a lot of these guys in spring ball, hitting these guys hard, and they just kept getting back up," Jones said. "I think that builds a lot of trust."
This includes incoming freshman Dasan McCullough, who is the highest-ranked recruit in Indiana football history, according to 247Sports. McCullough, the No. 75 player in the country, headlined Indiana's highest-ranked recruiting class in program history at No. 25 in the nation.
The 6-foot-5, 223-pound McCullough has played everywhere from linebacker, defensive line, cornerback, safety and even some wide receiver. His high school career began at Blue Valley North in Overland Park, Kan. when his father, Deland, coached running backs for the Kansas City Chiefs. While there, Dasan was teammates with current Wisconsin starting quarterback Graham Mertz, who had high praise for McCullough at Big Ten Media Days.
"He's a unicorn," Mertz said. "You don't really see a lot of guys that big that can move like that and play defense. I love Dasan, I love that whole family. He's going to have a really good career."
McCullough finished up his high school career at Bloomington South, where he emerged as the No. 1 prospect in Indiana, according to ESPN. And after flipping his commitment from Ohio State to Indiana, Allen is excited to see the potential impact McCullough can make right away.
"Dasan McCullough is another one who's coming in as a freshman that we expect to have opportunity to help us," Allen said. "See his development and see how he responds to playing Big Ten football."
Aaron Casey is another returner, alongside Jones, that Allen expects to step up in 2022. Casey has appeared in all 33 games for Indiana since the beginning of 2019, but playing behind Jones and McFadden, Casey didn't make his first start until Nov. 13, 2021 against Rutgers.
"Aaron Casey, another young man that's going to step up and do great things for us this season," Allen said. "Because of his work ethic and his passion for our program and for himself to be able to be his very, very best."
At Big Ten Media Days, Allen said incoming transfers Bradley Jennings and Jared Casey give Indiana two Big Ten-caliber linebackers.
Casey was a four-star recruit and the No. 332 player in his class out of Ballard High School in Louisville, Ky. He played in three games during his redshirt freshman season at Kentucky, and appeared in 23 games throughout the following two years. As a freshman, Casey made a career-high six tackles in Kentucky’s win over Mississippi State. And since deciding to transfer, he has embraced a change of scenery in Bloomington.
“It just brings an extra chip on your shoulder when you are transitioning into a different program,” Casey said in his introductory press conference. “It’s motivating and a whole new start.”
Jennings joins Casey as a newcomer at inside linebacker after spending five seasons at Miami (FL). Jennings was ranked as a three-start recruit and the No. 697 player in his class out of Sandalwood High School in Jacksonville, Fla.
He appeared in 35 games for the Hurricanes, and made all 11 starts during his junior season at middle linebacker. In 202, Jennings racked up 39 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, helping the Hurricanes reach the Cheez-It Bowl.
“Me and [McFadden] are two different players,” Jennings said in his introductory press conference. “I’ve just got to step into that spot and bring what I bring to the table and just ball out this season.”
It's unrealistic to expect one player to fill McFadden's role, but Jones' experience and leadership, coupled with the talented freshman McCullough and a pair of transfer linebackers is where Indiana will start. And for Allen, Indiana's ceiling as a defense will be reliant on this group's production.
"That's a room, to me, that's critical for our team to be able to play at a high level defensively," Allen said.
Related stories on Indiana football:
- INDIANA LINEBACKER CAM JONES EMERGES AS LEADER: Indiana fifth year linebacker Cam Jones sought out Coach Tom Allen following a lackluster 2021 season asking for more help from Allen who now meets with the team captain almost everyday. Since then, Jones has emerged into one of Indiana's grittiest leaders on and off the field. CLICK HERE
- BIG TEN MEDIA DAYS PHOTO GALLERY: Check out more than 30 photos from inside Lucas Oil Stadium as part of Big Ten Football Media Days. CLICK HERE
- BEST OF WHAT EACH COACH SAID AT BIG TEN FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS: On the first day of Big Ten Football Media Days, seven head football coaches spoke at the podium. We give you a breakdown of each coach's best quotes to the media about the upcoming 2022 season. CLICK HERE
