Recruiting Spotlight: Vols Sign DT McCullers

Recruiting Spotlight will take an in depth look at Vol commitments from the Class of 2012 and provide insight into where the player fits into the team and the impact they will have. 

Just like that, on the day that UT named Sal Sunseri as their Defensive Coordinator, Big Daniel McCullers pledged his commitment to the Tennessee Vols. The 6’6″ 380 pound mammoth JUCO Defensive Tackle out of Georgia Military College should step in right away for the Vols and plug a spot on the Defensive Line. I hope we call him “McNasty.”

McCullers has been sought after ever since he came out of Raleigh, NC, but grades delayed his entrance to the College Football scene and thus prompted his stay at GMC. During his senior season he was recruited pretty heavily by Auburn, Notre Dame, and UNC among others.

This season, McCullers had 15 sacks in only 8 games and proved that he was a force to be reckoned with. What I like about McCullers, who has been deemed “Mount McCullers” by many of his teammates, is that he carries his weight really well for a guy that big. To further this accord, he runs a 5.1 40-yard-dash… Let’s let that sink in. This 6’6″ 380 pound monster runs almost a 5 flat 40. That alone should tell you that this guy is going to wreak havoc in the SEC.

The only downside to McCullers is that he only has 3 years to play 2 so he is limited in time, but for a player with his type of program changing ability, how can you not just enjoy and hang on for the ride?

Alabama and UT both recruited McCullers hard and many thought he was a Bama lean the entire recruiting process until recently when Bama filled up their class almost to maximum capacity, leaving little hope and room for McCullers.

With this addition and with the announcement that the Volunteers would begin running more 3-4 defense under Coach Sal Sunseri, one cannot help but get overjoyed that Mount McCullers is going to be manning the middle. You now can have AJ Johnson, Herman Lathers, Curt Maggit on the field at the same time with Jacques Smith possibly playing a Jack LB (ala Demarcus Ware) with Darrington Sentimore, McCullers, and Maurice Couch manning the D-Line.

First off the aforementioned lineup is scary talented, and the best part is that if they can get a grasp of this mixed along with their current understanding of the 4-3 they’ve ran the past two years, then this defense could make substantial jumps next season.

Tennessee made a big step today by landing Mount McCullers… This kid will make plays, he will start, and he will heavily impact the Vols season in a great way. Yet again, buckle up Vol fans because this is the start of something beautiful.

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