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08-16-2008, 12:15 PM
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Culliver Turning Heads On Defense
August 16, 2008
David Cloninger
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer
There was no question if Chris Culliver could play football.
The only problem was where.
"I was behind a lot of guys, had to learn, had to compete for a job," Culliver said, recalling his up-and-down freshman season. "The things they do, it's hard. I was kind of the underdog from knowing so much on defense and then having to switch to offense and try to perfect that."
He reported to Columbia as the Gamecocks' first five-star recruit since Demetris Summers and the questions began. Where would the kid play?
He'd played mostly defense at Garner (N.C.) High School, collecting over 270 tackles in his final two seasons and intercepting four passes as a senior. But all the scouts said he was a natural wide receiver, considering he was a sculpted gazelle with a 34-inch vertical leap who'd somehow collected 1,500 all-purpose yards despite starting sparingly on offense.
Following an MVP performance for the East in the Offense-Defense All-Star Game and an appearance in the Shrine Bowl, Culliver shucked his defensive training and joined coach Steve Spurrier Jr. 's wide receiver corps during 2007. He got one start but didn't catch a pass all season, the coaches preferring to use his speed for reverse routes (31 yards on five carries).
It was on kick return -- yet another position -- where Culliver stamped his place. The Sporting News honored him as an All-SEC Freshman when he returned 34 kicks for 809 yards, the second-highest total in USC history behind Dick Harris' 880.
Playing a lot as a freshman was terrific, but Culliver thought he could be more of a help if he stayed on kick return and switched his other job. So after a few spring practices in 2008, he went to secondary coach Ron Cooper and took him up on his words.
"Coach Cooper always clowned around and told me he was going to get me on defense," Culliver said. "He came to my house and talked to me and stuff like that on my recruitment, and now I'm on defense."
Check that -- and now he's extremely impressive on defense.
Although only playing free safety for a handful of spring practices and two weeks of preseason camp, Culliver has carved a niche for himself as the Gamecocks implement a new wrinkle to their defensive package. Wary of the spread offense and the three-wideout sets that many of USC's opponents will use this season, coordinator Ellis Johnson and Cooper have unveiled a base package of a 4-2-5 alignment, a set with two free safeties, two cornerbacks, two linebackers and a rover who fills in a gap between strongside linebacker and another corner.
Culliver is one of the free safeties, joining Emanuel Cook as part of one of the SEC's best secondaries. What should happen in an average alignment is Cook and Culliver will play deep, Captain Munnerlyn and Carlos Thomas/Stoney Woodson will man the corners and Darian Stewart will rove.
Culliver, still just a sophomore, should have his head spinning from learning, un-learning and re-learning all of his new positions. Instead, his maturity, work ethic and that same blazing talent has got him on the quick track upward.
"He's done everything ... his attitude has been unbelievable," Cooper said. "Hadn't missed anything, been on time for everything, hasn't said a word, sits on the front row of the meetings.
"Ninety percent of the time he's acting and playing like a starter, which is a higher percentage than what I thought he would be. But he's got to be at 100 percent in about 13 days, 12 days."
Culliver is still the primary target on kickoff returns but is enjoying learning his new position. Grouped with a unit that's expected to be the key to the Gamecocks' defense this year and automatically expected to replicate their talents wasn't simple but he took a deep breath, kept his eyes and ears open and kept doing what he's been doing since he first arrived.
Except this time, it's re-visiting what got him to USC in the first place.
"That's why I came here," Culliver said. "Thought I could change and do something different and maybe make a big play. I'm learning, I'm getting better. I think this is my dominant position and I'm just trying to help the team out."
Culliver was clocked at 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash during preseason camp and confidently said he's the fastest Gamecock, although Munnerlyn gave him a run for the title. Culliver quickly brushed that aside, saying all wasn't as it seemed.
"I beat him and they said he beat me but I still don't think he beat me ... we had to shorten the distance because he starts out real quicker than I do and I catch him at the end," he explained. "He tried to shorten the distance so he could win but it's cool ... I'm still the fastest on the team. He better agree with it because I got witnesses."
The joking aside, Culliver said he's ready for the new responsibility and would be open to checking in for a few plays at receiver if asked. That's probably going to be an emergency or trick-play combination though (if that), which is fine with Culliver -- defense is what he's doing now and what seems to be working the best.
"I'm one of those guys that's trying to play," he said. "I'm just playing my role. We'll just have to see how things go throughout the season."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apparently it's obvious that Culliver was meant to play defense, the way he struggled to learn to play WR, but has taken to playing the secondary like a fish takes to water. It won't be long before we see Captain, E-Cook, Stewart and Thomas leave us, but we are starting to see our future secondary, with Culliver, Auguste, and Barnes. Jarrett Burns may RS, but he's also a future stud with Simmons and Allen, and we have another wave of top DB's on their way in....
Culliver Turning Heads On Defense
August 16, 2008
David Cloninger
GamecockCentral.com Staff Writer
There was no question if Chris Culliver could play football.
The only problem was where.
"I was behind a lot of guys, had to learn, had to compete for a job," Culliver said, recalling his up-and-down freshman season. "The things they do, it's hard. I was kind of the underdog from knowing so much on defense and then having to switch to offense and try to perfect that."
He reported to Columbia as the Gamecocks' first five-star recruit since Demetris Summers and the questions began. Where would the kid play?
He'd played mostly defense at Garner (N.C.) High School, collecting over 270 tackles in his final two seasons and intercepting four passes as a senior. But all the scouts said he was a natural wide receiver, considering he was a sculpted gazelle with a 34-inch vertical leap who'd somehow collected 1,500 all-purpose yards despite starting sparingly on offense.
Following an MVP performance for the East in the Offense-Defense All-Star Game and an appearance in the Shrine Bowl, Culliver shucked his defensive training and joined coach Steve Spurrier Jr. 's wide receiver corps during 2007. He got one start but didn't catch a pass all season, the coaches preferring to use his speed for reverse routes (31 yards on five carries).
It was on kick return -- yet another position -- where Culliver stamped his place. The Sporting News honored him as an All-SEC Freshman when he returned 34 kicks for 809 yards, the second-highest total in USC history behind Dick Harris' 880.
Playing a lot as a freshman was terrific, but Culliver thought he could be more of a help if he stayed on kick return and switched his other job. So after a few spring practices in 2008, he went to secondary coach Ron Cooper and took him up on his words.
"Coach Cooper always clowned around and told me he was going to get me on defense," Culliver said. "He came to my house and talked to me and stuff like that on my recruitment, and now I'm on defense."
Check that -- and now he's extremely impressive on defense.
Although only playing free safety for a handful of spring practices and two weeks of preseason camp, Culliver has carved a niche for himself as the Gamecocks implement a new wrinkle to their defensive package. Wary of the spread offense and the three-wideout sets that many of USC's opponents will use this season, coordinator Ellis Johnson and Cooper have unveiled a base package of a 4-2-5 alignment, a set with two free safeties, two cornerbacks, two linebackers and a rover who fills in a gap between strongside linebacker and another corner.
Culliver is one of the free safeties, joining Emanuel Cook as part of one of the SEC's best secondaries. What should happen in an average alignment is Cook and Culliver will play deep, Captain Munnerlyn and Carlos Thomas/Stoney Woodson will man the corners and Darian Stewart will rove.
Culliver, still just a sophomore, should have his head spinning from learning, un-learning and re-learning all of his new positions. Instead, his maturity, work ethic and that same blazing talent has got him on the quick track upward.
"He's done everything ... his attitude has been unbelievable," Cooper said. "Hadn't missed anything, been on time for everything, hasn't said a word, sits on the front row of the meetings.
"Ninety percent of the time he's acting and playing like a starter, which is a higher percentage than what I thought he would be. But he's got to be at 100 percent in about 13 days, 12 days."
Culliver is still the primary target on kickoff returns but is enjoying learning his new position. Grouped with a unit that's expected to be the key to the Gamecocks' defense this year and automatically expected to replicate their talents wasn't simple but he took a deep breath, kept his eyes and ears open and kept doing what he's been doing since he first arrived.
Except this time, it's re-visiting what got him to USC in the first place.
"That's why I came here," Culliver said. "Thought I could change and do something different and maybe make a big play. I'm learning, I'm getting better. I think this is my dominant position and I'm just trying to help the team out."
Culliver was clocked at 4.34 seconds in the 40-yard dash during preseason camp and confidently said he's the fastest Gamecock, although Munnerlyn gave him a run for the title. Culliver quickly brushed that aside, saying all wasn't as it seemed.
"I beat him and they said he beat me but I still don't think he beat me ... we had to shorten the distance because he starts out real quicker than I do and I catch him at the end," he explained. "He tried to shorten the distance so he could win but it's cool ... I'm still the fastest on the team. He better agree with it because I got witnesses."
The joking aside, Culliver said he's ready for the new responsibility and would be open to checking in for a few plays at receiver if asked. That's probably going to be an emergency or trick-play combination though (if that), which is fine with Culliver -- defense is what he's doing now and what seems to be working the best.
"I'm one of those guys that's trying to play," he said. "I'm just playing my role. We'll just have to see how things go throughout the season."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Apparently it's obvious that Culliver was meant to play defense, the way he struggled to learn to play WR, but has taken to playing the secondary like a fish takes to water. It won't be long before we see Captain, E-Cook, Stewart and Thomas leave us, but we are starting to see our future secondary, with Culliver, Auguste, and Barnes. Jarrett Burns may RS, but he's also a future stud with Simmons and Allen, and we have another wave of top DB's on their way in....