Report: Oklahoma Starting LB Plans to Enter Transfer Portal

An Oklahoma linebacker is the latest Sooner to head for the transfer portal.

Dasan McCullough, who played the last two seasons in Norman after transferring from Indiana, entered his name into the portal on Tuesday night.

After missing the start of the 2024 season due to a foot injury, McCullough finished with 17 total tackles this past season, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

BREAKING: Oklahoma LB Dasan McCullough plans to enter the Transfer Portal, he tells @on3sports

The 6’5 235 LB has totaled 95 Tackles, 5 Sacks, 6 PBU, & 13 TFL through 3 years

Earned Freshman All-American & All-Big 10 honors

1 year of eligibility lefthttps://t.co/cLL9mFayKt pic.twitter.com/pkoVGH6uhq
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) December 11, 2024

McCullough is the 19th Sooner overall to enter the portal this week, but only the fifth defensive player and the second frontline defender to declare his intention to leave the team.

McCullough joins cornerback Kani Walker as guys who played at least rotational roles for Brent Venables and Zac Alley’s defense who will apparently depart this winter. Walker was a former transfer from Louisville in 2022 after playing his freshman season with the Cardinals.

As a freshman at Indiana, McCullough totaled 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks playing primarily as a defensive end. He also was credited with three pass breakups.

He moved to Venables’ cheetah linebacker position in 2023, where he ended with 30 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three passes defended.

With the emergence of Kendel Dolby, McCullough was looked at as an option as more of a pure linebacker in 2024, but Dolby’s injury meant that McCullough was back paying cheetah by the time he was back in the lineup healthy.

Follow Along: Oklahoma Transfer Portal Tracker

McCullough played 195 total snaps (160 on defense) after finally getting healthy at midseason this year. As a sophomore in 2023, he played 356 total snaps (276 defense).

Last year McCullough finished second on the team (to noseguard Isaiah Coe) with an overall PFF defensive grade of 79.5, including an 88.2 in pass coverage and a 73.6 in run defense.

With the injury this year, McCullough’s PFF rating of 64.5 ranked 17th among OU defenders with at least 100 snaps.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough arrived at OU last year amid much fanfare following his freshman year with the Hoosiers, when he received Freshman All-America accolades. He transferred to OU at the same time his younger brother, Daeh McCullough, arrived as a freshman defensive back, a 4-star prospect. Daeh transferred to Louisville after the 2023 season, however.

McCullough graduated from Bloomington South High School in Bloomington, IN, and he was rated as a consensus 4-star prospect when he signed with the Hoosiers.

The son of Notre Dame associate head coach and running backs coach Deland McCullough, Dasan will have one year of eligibility remaining.

This year's NCAA Transfer Portal opened officially opened on Monday. The winter transfer portal window will be open from Dec. 9-28. To be eligible to play right away in 2025, players must enter their name into the transfer portal before Dec. 28.

Players do not have to know their destination by Dec. 28, they just have to be in the portal when the window closes to retain immediate eligibility.

The spring portal window runs from April 16-25, 2025.