The Nebraska football’s new defense is starting to take shape. After a ton of players who saw or were expected to see playing time in 2024, new defensive coordinator John Butler and company are reloading.
Former Oklahoma and Indiana defender Dasan McCullough is the second potential blackshirt to transfer to the Huskers this weekend. He follows defensive back Justyn Rhett who signaled he was headed to Lincoln on Saturday.
McCullough pulled the trigger just a few hours after rumblings started that he liked what he saw in a weekend visit to Lincoln. Now that he’s officially a member of the Nebraska football team, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited about what could be the biggest get on the defensive side of the ball.
Nebraska football nabs a hybrid defender
McCullough has been billed as someone who can play all over the field. Versatility is certainly going to be key in a defense that is replacing quite a few players and will need to be able to move people around to get the best fit.
McCullough could play anywhere from JACK to Rover in Butler’s defense. However, Oklahoma coaches also viewed the former Indiana Hoosier as an inside linebacker and even outside edge rusher at times.
Experience Is Key With So Many Moves
The Cornhuskers are seeing 9 of 12 edge rushers and linebackers with the most playing time move on either through the portal or graduation. Enter McCullough’s 96 tackles (14 for loss) and six pass breakups in 29 career games.
He earned freshman All-America honors amid 49 stops at IU before transferring to Oklahoma for the past two seasons, he did great in 2023 before a foot injury sidelined him for the first five games of this season.
He’s going to have a shot to not only start, but possibly play all over the field, depending on how the rest of the defense shakes out.
He can hold his own in pass defense
One of the biggest tasks Butler will have this season is fixing a pass defense that was oddly porous at times in 2024. While McCullough is stronger against the run, he’s considered someone who can certainly hold his own when covering on-one-on against running backs and tight ends.