Nebraska's Dasan McCullough Declares for NFL Draft

Nebraska learned more than its bowl destination this weekend, as along with the announcement that the Huskers will face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 31, senior linebacker Dasan McCullough officially declared for the NFL draft.

McCullough becomes the second Husker to announce his plans, joining running back Emmett Johnson. Both will look to earn an invite to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this February.

While other upperclassmen like Johnson, Rocco Spindler, and Malcolm Hartzog won’t be available for Nebraska’s final game, according to Sean Callahan of Husker Online, McCullough intends to take part in the bowl practices and game before beginning the draft process. Before all of that comes to pass later this month, here’s a look back at the Kansas City native’s time in Lincoln and where he projects in the draft.

🏁🏁 pic.twitter.com/BVtbQtQQHs
— Dasan Mccullough (@Dasan2022) December 7, 2025

In his lone season at Nebraska, McCullough carved out a consistent role on John Butler's defense, appearing in 10 games with seven starts. Despite missing the Northwestern and UCLA games due to injury, he finished with 21 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks, tying for the team lead in sacks and ranking third on the roster in TFLs. His impact earned him honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition from the media.

McCullough’s production came steadily throughout the year. He opened the season with four tackles and a pass breakup against Cincinnati, followed by two solo stops against Akron. His first sack in a Nebraska uniform came on a play in which he forced an 11-yard loss against Houston Christian. Against a ranked Michigan Wolverines squad, he delivered one of his best outings of the season, posting two tackles for loss and adding a six-yard sack. McCullough continued that momentum with a half tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry versus Michigan State and added three tackles with 1.5 TFLs at Maryland.

Down the stretch, McCullough’s snaps tapered off as he battled through an injury. He logged three tackles in the loss at Minnesota and did the same against USC. After missing the UCLA game, he returned to finish the regular season with one tackle at Penn State and one more against Iowa at home.

Prior to joining the Huskers, the 6-foot-5, 235-pound athlete was awarded Freshman All-America honors for his lone season at Indiana. That season, 2022, he recorded 48 total tackles, four sacks, and three pass breakups before entering the transfer portal and calling Norman, Oklahoma, home for the next two years.

In his time as a Sooner, McCullough totaled 47 tackles and three pass breakups in two seasons. Now, with his collegiate career ending, in four years, McCullough totaled 116 tackles, 15 of those coming for loss, seven pass breakups, and six sacks. He achieved those stats having played in 32 career games with 21 starts.

Doubling down.

Nebraska will face Utah in the 2025 @LasVegasBowl.

🎲ℹ️ https://t.co/6KjRTnx3ms pic.twitter.com/ifFIDYHnec
— Nebraska Football (@HuskerFootball) December 7, 2025

As Nebraska prepares to take on the No. 6 offense in the country for its bowl game, having McCullough available gives the Huskers a much-needed edge. By then, he'll be closer than ever to being fully healthy and ready to make an impact.

The likely linebacker rotation for the game will include McCullough and fellow seniors Marques Watson-Trent and Javin Wright, along with a trio of sophomore defenders such as Vincent Shavers, Dylan Rogers, and Jacob Bower. Following McCullough's injury earlier in the year, Rogers had seen in an increased role. He recorded his first career start against UCLA while replacing McCullough, and to this point in the season, he has totaled five tackles in five games.

Nebraska associate head coach Phil Snow overlooks a drill between defensive backs Derek Branch and Malcolm Hartzog Jr. — Nebraska associate head coach Phil Snow will serve as interim defensive coordinator for the bowl game. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Phil Snow, who spent the 2025 season as the associate head coach, is set to take over defensive coordinator duties for the bowl game, along with special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler's help. Snow has served as defensive coordinator for Rhule-led teams at several stops, including Temple, Baylor, and Carolina, while Ekeler has served as co-defensive coordinator (Indiana) and linebackers coach at several stops throughout his career.

The pair of coaches will be tasked with finding a way to slow down a Utes offense that averaged 478.6 yards per game during the regular season. Make no mistake, the Huskers direly needed McCullough's talents in this matchup, as it will be the most statistically impressive unit they've faced this year.

With that in mind, however, Nebraska has yet another player potentially able to find himself on an NFL roster next fall. While Nebraska surely doesn't get full credit for his development, his overall impact with the Huskers serves as another transfer portal success story. He projects to be a fringe day three pick, but his athletic profile is definitely enough to see him be offered a chance. McCullough's success in Lincoln serves as a recruiting pitch to future athletes as the transfer portal is set to open up at the start of January.

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