Donaven

McCulley

McCulley (6’5”/203) has good size for an X-receiver and played 91.5 percent of his snaps outside last season at Michigan. He never had more than 644 receiving yards in a season, which came in 2023 at Indiana, and he struggles to gain separation from opposing defenders, forcing himself into contested situations. He hauled in 52.4 percent of his 42 contested targets over his college career, per PFF, and has just six career drops to his name. His inability to separate is further complicated by a lack of top-end speed. McCulley ran a 4.76 40-yard dash at his pro day and has one of the more underwhelming Relative Athletic Scores (2.66) you will ever see for a receiver. He posted a 39-588-3 line last season at Michigan, and surpassed 60 receiving yards in just two of the 13 games he appeared in despite leading the team in targets. His underwhelming production and struggles to separate from coverage both suggest McCulley will face an uphill battle to make an NFL roster, but he could make for an intriguing developmental prospect if he shows enough flashes in camp.

McCulley (6'5/200) saw some time at quarterback as a true freshman due to the injuries of Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle and completed 14-of-25 passes for 242 yards and two touchdowns. Now with Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak coming and looking to be the QB1 for the Hoosiers, McCulley will make the transition to wide receiver for the 2022 season. He has the mobility and it was his specialty as a quarterback, and at 6-foot-5 will tower over most defenders, so hopefully, he can use and move the ball down the field as a pass-catcher this season.

It was not a good way for the Hooser to end the season. With the green quarterback Grant Gremel behind center, they could not move the ball at all. It was especially bad in the second half as Indiana did not snap a play on the Purdue side of the field for most of the second half. McCulley (6'5/200) didn’t even start this game at quarterback as Grant Gremel got the mod. He did get in for a snap and ran it in for the touchdown and was the lone Hooser to find the end zone early in the first quarter. This will end another rough season as Indiana will unfortunately go winless in the Big Ten.

The Hoosiers may be rolling out their fourth different starting quarterback of the season. Gremel (6'3/200), who joined the Indiana program as a walk-on, was taking the first-team reps during pregame, with Donaven McCulley working with the second unit. McCulley, a freshman from Indianapolis, has already appeared in six games this season, so the potential burning of a redshirt is of no concern here. Gremel may get the start Saturday, but it would not come as a surprise if McCulley played as well.

Not great. McCulley really struggled as a passer, and while the 6-foot-5, 200-pound freshman did show off some running prowess, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome his ineffectiveness as a thrower, and Grant Gremel came off the bench to replace the signal-caller. Simply put, McCulley doesn’t look like he’s ready for this, but Indiana may have no choice but to turn to the freshman next weekend against the Boilermakers. A loss there would see the Hoosiers finish 2-10 on the season and winless in the Big Ten. Yikes.

McCulley (6'5/200) receives the starting nod for Saturday’s game, as the Hoosiers remain without both Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle due to injury. The freshman has appeared in five games this season, completing 32-of-75 passes for 458 yards two touchdowns. While the completion percentage leaves a lot to be desired, McCulley has avoided the costly turnover thus far.

McCulley (6'5/200) came into the game in place of quarterback Jack Tuttle in the second quarter after Tuttle had thrown his second interception of the day. Things didn’t go much better for McCulley, who didn’t throw any interceptions on the day, but also failed to get Indiana into the end zone. The quarterback situation in Indiana has been one of the more difficult of situations in the nation. With starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and backup Jack Tuttle both nursing injuries for most of the season, Indiana is just hoping to field a competitive team in any given week. They will look to rebound next Saturday at Penn State.

In his second career start, McCulley (6'5/200) found out that Michigan’s defense has a bit more to offer than what the Maryland Terrapins did in Week 9. McCulley failed to throw for over 100 yards on the day, took two sacks, and managed just 14 carries for 37 yards on the ground, which was largely boosted by a 24-yard scramble. McCulley is the third quarterback Indiana has turned to this season after Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle have both missed multiple games due to injuries. If neither Penix Jr. or Tuttle are able to go next week, we can expect to see McCulley under center again vs. Rutgers.

With it being reported a couple weeks ago that Penix (6'3/218) resumed throwing in practice, there were some who wondered if he would be able to play Saturday night. That won’t be happening, as the redshirt sophomore is not dressed out. Freshman Donaven McCulley will run the show, as backup Jack Tuttle is also sidelined due to injury.

Head coach Tom Allen didn’t have much of a choice other than to start McCulley (6'5"/200) last weekend against Maryland after quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle nurse various injuries. That appears to be the case again this weekend, as Allen has already committed to McCulley for this weekend against Michigan, saying that Penix Jr. and Tuttle will need to be evaluated as the week progresses. McCulley performed well in his first start against Maryland, as the Hoosiers nearly pulled off the road upset against the Terps in the 38-35 loss. McCulley completed 14-of-25 passes for two touchdowns and no interceptions while also rushing five times for 28 yards.