Oklahoma football: Five Sooners who will have breakout 2023 seasons
By Chip Rouse
![Oklahoma's D.J. Graham (9) runs the ball and is hit out of bounds by Kansas State's Josh Hayes (1) in the fourth quarter during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Kasnas State won 41-34.Ou Vs Kstate Oklahoma's D.J. Graham (9) runs the ball and is hit out of bounds by Kansas State's Josh Hayes (1) in the fourth quarter during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Kasnas State won 41-34.Ou Vs Kstate](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/1ed18db07d4872a021103ad4c13d1b1b3479eb34e2cce0621ebd3b16a52a84d3.jpg)
LB Dasan McCullough
Oklahoma’s incoming additions from the transfer portal this offseason was rated as a top-10 class, and the head of that class is arguably sophomore LB Dasan McCullough, who transferred to OU after his freshman season at Indiana. The 6-foot, 5-inch, 220-pound middle defender was universally rated as a four-star prospect coming out of high school and the highest-rated player ever to sign with the University of Indiana football program.
CBS Sports identified McCullough as someone who can make an instant impact in the Big 12 this season. He is expected to play the “Cheetah” position, a key spot in a Brent Venables defense, the position played all of last season by DaShaun White.
Playing last year at outside linebacker for Indiana, McCullough registered 48 tackles, four sacks and had three pass deflections. In high school he played at free safety, which is where he said he learned how to tackle in space.
The Oklahoma coaches believe “Cheetah” is an ideal spot for McCullough to maximize his talent and utilize all of his skills. Talking about the position during the spring practice period, McCullough told reporters:
"“I love how much it moves around. You can go from playing in the post to lining up on the edge to playing right in the box in the middle. So I like the versatility aspect of it a lot.”"
McCullough was named a freshman All-American after his rookie season at Indiana. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest pass-rushing grade among freshman in the 2022 season.
The Sooners have brought in several big additions to help with OU’s defensive makeover and improvement going forward and McCullough may be the best of the lot and primed to have an immediate impact in what should be much sounder defensive play in 2023.