McCullough discusses family ties to Ohio and bond with the Buckeyes staff

The college recruiting process is an experience that is subjective to the individual and what they value the most.

Those values vary from prospect to prospect, and there is no written handbook on how to approach this journey. Some high school student-athletes place a heavy emphasis on academics, some prioritize the success of a sports program above all else, and others seek a balance between both aspects of a college.

For Dasan McCullough, his recruitment was a one that while not long-lived, it ended with him finding the perfect place that checked all the important boxes. McCullough, the No. 21 overall junior in the country, announced on Tuesday that his home for the next three-to-five years would be The Ohio State University.

“The first thing would probably be my relationship with coach Al Washington,” McCullough told BuckeyeGrove when explaining his decision. “I’ve been talking with him for two or three times a week for this whole entire quarantine time. We built a relationship where basically it’s like I already knew him and met him without even meeting him.

“It’s the same relationship with coach Coombs and coach Day, too. I feel like I have a really strong bond with them and everything like that. And with me being from Ohio – I was born in Cincinnati – I felt like it was just the best fit for me.”

Suiting up for the Blue Valley North Mustangs in Overland Park, McCullough has carved out a nice reputation for himself in Kansas. In fact, on our Rivals rankings service, no other recruit in the state is ranked higher than McCullough in the Class of 2022.

Blue Valley North is where he'll presumably finish his high school career, but his roots are in Ohio.

His father, Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough, is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and also played football for Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Prior to short stints in the NFL and CFL – with one of his teams being the Cincinnati Bengals – Deland returned to Ohio to serve multiple roles at Harmony Community High School in Cincinnati, where Dasan was born.

Deland, along with his wife, Darnell, and their oldest son, Deland McCullough II, were all smiles following Dasan's decision this week.

“My dad was beyond happy for me,” McCullough said. “He knows I love Ohio State. My mom loves it, too. My mom was really happy; all of her friends live in Columbus, too. So, you know, for her personal reasons, she loved it, too. For her to be able to go up there and watch me.

“My older brother was really excited, too, because he is in Oxford at Miami of Ohio. He’s excited to be down there and come see me and everything like that. It was all positive within my family and just a blessing.”

What makes a recruitment difficult, for some, is that the perfect school could be far away from your loved ones. There are countless examples of college players becoming justifiably homesick and opting to return to their home state.

Fortunately for McCullough, he'll continue to have strong support at the next level. While Overland Park is more than a ten-hour drive from Columbus, he says there will be plenty of family members to cheer for him on game days at Ohio Stadium.

“That’s a big deal for me,” McCullough said of playing in front of his family. “I get to play in front of my mom and my dad’s side, who are all from Ohio. They were all beyond excited to hear that I was going to Ohio State to be able to perform in front of them and winning national championships for Ohio is going to mean a lot to me.”

Despite these connections to the Buckeye State, McCullough did not have people constantly in his ear about moving back home. This allowed him to evaluate all programs fairly, with McCullough even narrowing his choices down to 10 programs from nine different states back in June.

The ability to enjoy this process on his own with no outside influence meant a lot for McCullough.

“Actually, no,” McCullough said when asked if he had loved ones trying to convince him to go to Ohio State. “None of them were really pushing me to go to Ohio State; not even my dad or anyone. That’s probably why it feels more special because it’s something I did on my own.

"I thought about all those reasons and I kind of added it all up. Just as me being a kid, I kind of knew what I wanted. So, I felt like this was a great time to do that and I felt like Ohio was where I needed to be.”

Besides the family connections he has to Ohio, McCullough was able to manufacture solid relationships with several Buckeye staff members, specifically Al Washington.

The linebackers coach began recruiting him in April, but both of them have been in touch on a consistent basis. McCullough initiates contact with Washington more than once a week, and they were even able to speak with one another during a virtual visit back in the spring.

With these conversations they've had and the trust that has been established, McCullough believes Washington can elevate his game to new heights.

“Basically, my thought process is when I go to Ohio State, I want to be mentally and physical prepared, and I know coach Washington will take my technique to a whole other level,” McCullough said. “Mentally, that’s the biggest part – mentally prepared for the grind and everything like that.

“He’s a technician coach, so the things that he can teach me and help me with are going to be unbelievable and, without a doubt, are going to turn me into the best linebacker in college football.”

What's interesting about McCullough's skill set is that although we have him listed as an outside linebacker, he is versatile enough to play multiple positions.

It wouldn't be a complete shock if the 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is capable of playing the middle linebacker spot, and him suiting up at safety is not out of the realm of possibility. You could even make the case that if he packs on a few pounds over the next couple of years, McCullough can come off the edge in a hybrid linebacker/defensive end role.

He's expected to play linebacker in the Scarlet and Gray but Kerry Coombs, however, isn't giving up on the opportunity to add him to his position group at the next level.

“You know, coach Coombs is always a cool guy to talk to,” McCullough said. “He always jokes around about saying he’s not too sold on me not being able to play safety. That’s how versatile he thinks I am. So, me and him have a great relationship, and we’re going to keep building it."

When it comes to Day, the head coach for the Buckeyes has made it a point to get to know McCullough and learn about him not only as a player, but as a person.

That type of bond does not develop overnight, and McCullough is looking forward to continuing to get to know Day even more before it's time for him to begin his collegiate journey.

“My relationship with coach Day is it feels like I met him already," McCullough said. "Me and him have a really strong connection. We’re going to keep building it and getting it stronger until I’m able to go up there and visit, and I feel like that’s the real special part about us.”

Whether it's his family members in Ohio rooting for him on Saturdays or the coaches he'll be interacting with on a daily basis, McCullough will have a strong support system when he arrives in Columbus.