Four-star QB Donaven McCulley stays home, commits to IU
The Indiana Hoosiers have found their quarterback of the future, and head coach Tom Allen and his staff did not have to look far. Indianapolis (Ind.) Lawrence North four-star Donaven McCulley announced his commitment to the Hoosiers on Thursday, becoming the highest-ranked prospect in Indiana’s 2021 class.
HOW IT HAPPENED
For how talented and dynamic McCulley is at the quarterback position, his final offer tally of 12 schools seems low. Quarterbacks generally do not pick up a lot of offers, but McCulley’s skill set is ideal for today’s college game. The last of those offers came in early April from Ole Miss, and four days later McCulley released a top five that included the Rebels as well as Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Purdue. McCulley’s decision to commit to Indiana comes exactly two years to the day that the Hoosiers handed the in-state prospect his first scholarship offer. His second Power Five offer did not come until almost a year later, so Indiana had a big head start on the rest of the teams in this recruitment. They were able to see it through to the end, and were rewarded with his commitment on Thursday.
IN HIS WORDS
“I want to represent my home state and I want to do that at Indiana. I have been thinking about it for awhile now. I have always known that was the school for me, and today I just decided to (commit).
“I love the way their program is run, and I feel coach Allen is a rare coach. You don’t come across a coach like him often. He’s all about caring for his players and love.”
SCOUTING REPORT
The first chance I had to see McCulley throw live was at the Rivals Camp in Cincinnati toward the end of his sophomore year, and I came away super impressed with his arm talent. Although he still needed some polishing, McCulley showed that day – throwing alongside fellow four-stars like J.J. McCarthy and Chase Harrison – that he was capable of making all the throws. He threw with touch, he threw with velocity, he was impressively accurate on most of his throws and he showed the promise to be one of the country’s top quarterback prospects in the 2021 class based on arm talent alone. However, McCulley also is an outstanding athlete who proved this past season that he can hurt defenses with his legs as well, rushing for 563 yards to go with his 1,958 passing yards. That tall, lean frame making defenders miss in the open field reminds me of being a kid watching Randall Cunningham glide across the old Veteran’s Stadium turf. McCulley may not quite be on Cunningham’s level of elusiveness, but he is a true dual-threat at the quarterback position.
TEAMS IT HURTS MOST
For much of this recruitment I felt Purdue was the most likely landing spot for McCulley. Then, the Boilermakers flipped Chicagoland athlete Sam Jackson from Minnesota Wednesday night and plan to use him as a quarterback. Did Purdue know McCulley was about to commit to Indiana, or did Purdue taking a quarterback make McCulley’s decision easier? I do not know the answer to that at this stage, and maybe neither is the case. Out of McCulley’s remaining top five, Ole Miss is the only one without a quarterback committed. Missouri picked up their quarterback back in March and Iowa just landed a quarterback commitment earlier this week.