McCullough played both middle and outside linebacker at Hutchinson this spring. In high school in Baltimore, he was a stand-up rush end and had 13 sacks as a senior. UPDATE: He'll be a Mike or Will backer at Minnesota and will have four years to play three.
He’s definitely an athletic, Fleck type of linebacker. He has great wiggle, burst, and pursuit, and he’s aggressive attacking the gap. He has great closing speed and can come downhill in a hurry, and he also gets through trash well and can definitely play sideline to sideline.
The only JUCO tape he has is from spring practice, some of which includes tackling and some of which is parts of practice where tackling isn’t allowed, so there’s not a ton of tackling on his tape. He tends to tackle high and I’m not sure he’ll be able to send punishing high hits like he could in high school at the Big Ten level. He doesn’t wrap up much on film. There’s also not much JUCO film of him warding off blocks.
Having only watched highlights, it’s hard to watch assess things like instincts but he seems to read and react pretty quickly. He consistently gets a good jump on the ball in his film. In his high school film, he’s clearly a big hitter. He’d deliver high, punishing blows.
In high school, he was a stand-up rush end and was very explosive off the line. Clearly a quick twitch athlete that was far more athletic than the competition. He also played some outside linebacker and wide receiver in high school.
He seems to have a strong motor: chases runners from far away and behind, active before the snap, and shows excitement after making a play.
He looks thin for a Big Ten linebacker, so he’ll need to add weight and perhaps improve his technique but his film very much looks like a classic Fleck linebacker. He should be very valuable after Barber, Coughlin, and Martin graduate after the 2019 season, and in the meantime will provide depth, be an asset on special teams, and maybe play some R.
He’s definitely an athletic, Fleck type of linebacker. He has great wiggle, burst, and pursuit, and he’s aggressive attacking the gap. He has great closing speed and can come downhill in a hurry, and he also gets through trash well and can definitely play sideline to sideline.
The only JUCO tape he has is from spring practice, some of which includes tackling and some of which is parts of practice where tackling isn’t allowed, so there’s not a ton of tackling on his tape. He tends to tackle high and I’m not sure he’ll be able to send punishing high hits like he could in high school at the Big Ten level. He doesn’t wrap up much on film. There’s also not much JUCO film of him warding off blocks.
Having only watched highlights, it’s hard to watch assess things like instincts but he seems to read and react pretty quickly. He consistently gets a good jump on the ball in his film. In his high school film, he’s clearly a big hitter. He’d deliver high, punishing blows.
In high school, he was a stand-up rush end and was very explosive off the line. Clearly a quick twitch athlete that was far more athletic than the competition. He also played some outside linebacker and wide receiver in high school.
He seems to have a strong motor: chases runners from far away and behind, active before the snap, and shows excitement after making a play.
He looks thin for a Big Ten linebacker, so he’ll need to add weight and perhaps improve his technique but his film very much looks like a classic Fleck linebacker. He should be very valuable after Barber, Coughlin, and Martin graduate after the 2019 season, and in the meantime will provide depth, be an asset on special teams, and maybe play some R.
