NORMAN — Seven practices in and Dasan McCullough is still getting a handle on Brent Venables’ defense.
The 6-foot-5 transfer from Indiana is getting acclimated to playing in space, taking reps at Oklahoma’s hybrid linebacker “cheetah” position after playing along the defensive line as a freshman last year.
McCullough was effective as a freshman, earning freshman All-American honors from ESPN while totaling four quarterback sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and 49 total tackles last year.
A fluid athlete, McCullough is excited about the prospects of playing off the line of scrimmage more this year under Venables.
“I love playing in space,” McCullough said after OU’s practice on Monday. “People would assume I don’t because of my size, but that’s what I did a majority of high school when I was a free safety. So I enjoy playing in space a lot.”
The 222-pounder’s size is an advantage, as he’s still a fluid athlete and will have the versatilely to play a variety of roles in Norman.
“Dasan is an amazing athlete,” OU linebacker Kobie McKinzie said last week. “He is that one percent in athletes, for sure. And you see it. There are flashes of it here and there, and he's a really good player.
“The world has already seen that, but it's going to be displayed here with us. It's going to be really good.”
But before McCullough can make plays for the Sooners, he has to figure out the simple things like where to line up and what his responsibilities are snap to snap.
“It’s definitely difficult. There’s no question,” he said. “… But I say I’m picking up on it pretty well now headed into Day 7. So I’m just going to keep getting better at it. It’s going to definitely be a process.
“Probably gonna lead up all the way until the end of fall camp, just the way (Venables’) defense works. But it’s a great challenge so this is exactly why I came here.”
Knowing how much he’ll enjoy the finished project is driving McCullough right now, even if the progress on picking up the defense has been difficult.
“It can be overwhelming at first, for sure,” he said. “But I know how fun it can be when you get the hang of it so that’s why I kind of already know how this process is gonna go. And the ups and downs right know in spring ball is just part of the process. So it’s gonna be fun once I get the hang of it.”
McCullough isn’t just plugging away alone, he’s had plenty of help to get a grasp on the new scheme.
Fellow linebackers Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak have helped him along. But Justin Harrington has connected with McCullough on a different level, as his similar body type has allowed Harrington to pass along more personalized insights into how to succeed in Venables’ defense.
“He knows this defense very well,” McCullough said of Harrington. “He can help me out with the checks. He meets with me whenever I need it… He’s given me a lot of tips on some of this coverage stuff that I didn’t have at Indiana… He’s been a big help.”
It didn’t take long for Harrington and McCullough to hit it off, Harrington said, as McCullough reminded Harrington of his younger self.
“He's a very warming guy,” Harrington said. “His personality, he doesn't know any strangers. I take him under my wing as my little brother. I love him.
“… He’s a great athlete with just raw talent. Being under Coach Venables is just a great thing for him.”
McCullough has to get up to speed quick, as he’ll have another key piece to mentor this summer.
His younger brother, safety Daeh McCullough, will join the Sooners this summer.
A 4-star safety recruit, Daeh McCullough is one of the defensive back recruits Venables was happy to sign this past winter.
After getting a head start on the playbook, Dasan McCullough has been passing on plenty of advice to his brother.
“I’m definitely giving him tips on just like, how difficult it is gonna be,” Dasan McCullough said. “And just to come in with the right mentality… You can come in great physically and be the best DB in the world you think until you’re put into that defense and you really have to see the mental side of it and the mental strain it’s gonna put you through every day.
“So I’m really just telling him to be ready for that part of it. Get mentally ready… Be ready for the ups and downs too. Because when you get here it’s not gonna be like high school. You’re not just gonna be the dude up front. You’re gonna have to work for everything.”
The work this spring has been difficult, as the coaching staff is throwing plenty at McCullough to digest. But he knows every coaching point lobbed his way from Venables and defensive coordinator Ted Roof is designed to improve his game so McCullough can make a positive impact this fall.
“It’s a difference between the types of jobs I was doing here and at Indiana,” McCullough said. “… So with a coach like that, (he) knows so much and he’s a perfectionist. (It) just makes you be really tight on the details.”
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