A former blue-chip recruit and Sean Payton connection through his father who signed with Denver after a three-school college career.
Dasan McCullough arrived in college football as a four-star recruit and the highest-rated signee in Indiana history before bouncing through Oklahoma and Nebraska on his way to the pros. He went undrafted in 2026 but landed with the Broncos, whose head coach Sean Payton once coached his father.
Path to the league
McCullough started at Indiana in 2022 as a true freshman early enrollee, transferred to Oklahoma for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and finished his career at Nebraska in 2025. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed a three-year contract with the Denver Broncos as a free agent.
Career highlights
As a true freshman at Indiana in 2022, McCullough posted 49 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition. His father, Deland McCullough, is a former NFL running back and coach who worked under Sean Payton earlier in his career, a connection that helped draw Dasan to Denver.
2025 season recap
In his lone season at Nebraska, McCullough appeared in 10 games with seven starts, finishing with 21 tackles, 5.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent on a three-year, $3.12 million contract shortly after the draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Dasan McCullough
- Denver Gazette: After Sean Payton once coached his father, Dasan McCullough 'really excited' to join Broncos
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Nebraska
- Hometown
- Kansas City, KS, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
