Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma Football: 2023 Spring Game preview – Five things to watch

ByBrandon Self|
NORMAN, OK - APRIL 23: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with his team for the alma mater during their spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - APRIL 23: Head coach Brent Venables of the Oklahoma Sooners stands with his team for the alma mater during their spring game at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on April 23, 2022 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
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Dasan McCullough works on defensive skills as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) college football team holds spring practice outside of Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on March 21, 2023 in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]
Dasan McCullough works on defensive skills as the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) college football team holds spring practice outside of Gaylord Family/Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on March 21, 2023 in Norman, Okla. [Steve Sisney/For The Oklahoman]

Dasan McCullough and the Cheetah position

Dasan McCullough comes to Norman following a freshman All-American season at the University of Indiana, where he totaled 48 tackles (30 solos) and 4 sacks. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 230-pound linebacker looks to compete for the coveted Cheetah position on the Sooners’ defense. He is competing, for time, against redshirt senior Justin Harrington.

So far this Spring, Dasan has looked like he will live up to the hype. His athleticism is off the charts, and he aggressively defends the run game.

All eyes will be fixed on Dasan each time he is on the field. He’s one of the most hyped transfer prospects in Sooner history, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I’ll look for Dasan’s progression mentally more than physically. Coach Venables’s defense is notorious for its complexity, which limited fellow backer Jaran Kanak last season. McCullough won’t be one-hundred percent efficient yet and will commit mental errors in the Spring game; that’s to be expected. However, I’d like to see them committed at a minimum, and when they occur, I’d expect to see his athleticism bail him out.

The remainder of the linebacker group appears to be having an awesome Spring. Backers Danny Stutsman, Jaren Kanak, Kobie Mckenzie, and Kip Lewis all seem to be ready to lead the defense come next fall. Freshman Phil Picciotti has also been turning heads this Spring. The Sooner linebacking group has the potential to be one of the conference’s best units.

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