Donaven McCulley hadn’t even played a snap on the varsity football team at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis, yet IU head coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan thought he could be special.
Before becoming a highly touted four-star recruit and before other college football powerhouses started to show up for his games, IU was there with a scholarship offer in hand.
As McCulley rose in the recruiting rankings during his junior season, completing 63% of his passes for 1,958 yards and 17 touchdowns, the scholarship offers started to pile in. McCulley whittled his list down to Iowa, Purdue, the University of Mississippi and the University of Missouri alongside IU, but the Hoosiers’ early recruitment became a key factor in his decision to sign with the program.
“They were the first to believe in me,” McCulley said. “I just couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to be coached by such a good group of guys.”
At 6-feet, 5-inches and 195 pounds, McCulley mirrors IU’s current quarterback Michael Penix Jr. both physically and skill-wise. Both quarterbacks have high-end speed and strong arms, which Penix Jr. showed fit perfectly into IU’s new offensive system last season.
In his highlight package, McCulley's natural arm strength is the biggest aspect that pops off the screen. In multiple clips, he shows his ability to launch off-balance throws on the run, including one nearly 45 yards while falling away from his receiver.
“For a high school quarterback, it’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Lawrence North coach Patrick Mallory told The Herald-Times. “That doesn’t mean just watching the Indiana kids. That’s watching any kid that’s a top quarterback coming up.”
While Penix Jr. likes to classify himself as a pro-style quarterback that can run, McCulley is the prototypical dual-threat option. The rising high school senior runs a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, which would have ranked third by a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Combine. So, McCulley is always looking for running lanes and is quick to take off downfield when he sees an opening.
As a result of McCulley’s talent, his national recruiting ranking continued to climb. According to 247sports, McCulley is the No. 11 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2021 — No. 23 quarterback overall — and the third-ranked prospect in the state of Indiana.
When McCulley arrives on campus for the 2021 season, the Hoosiers project to have a crowded quarterback room.
Penix Jr. and backup quarterback Jack Tuttle, who was the No. 8 pro-style quarterback in the class of 2018, will both be redshirt juniors. Alongside them, three-star recruit Dexter Williams will likely be a redshirt freshman since he’s expected to redshirt this upcoming season.
While this means McCulley likely won't be competing for a starting role in his freshman year, it will allow him to grow into the position at the college level.
McCulley’s skill set is transferable to college, but his playing style may need to evolve. Too often in his highlight reel, McCulley bailed on a play and scrambled, relying heavily on his speed to get himself out of trouble.
While that type of play works when you’re one of the best athletes on the field, which McCulley is in high school, Big Ten defenses are full of elite athletes.
Instead, McCulley will need to grow as a quarterback and become more comfortable in the pocket. Stepping into a backup role behind Penix Jr. and Tuttle is a great opportunity to grow in a low-stress environment.
McCulley projects to be IU’s quarterback of the future as Allen has potentially found who he will hand the reins off to in the post-Penix Jr. era. However, that day is three or four years away, and right now McCulley is just happy to be a Hoosier.
“I want to represent my home state and I want to do that at Indiana,” McCulley told Rivals. “I have been thinking about it for a while now. I have always known that was the school for me.”
