Ulrick John enrolled at Georgia State as a self-described angry man. Recently, his coach said he could have a future in the NFL.
John gained wisdom — something he said many of his teammates have gained — and hopes to use it to lift Georgia State to a better season and perhaps himself to a career in the NFL.
“This offseason, a lot of people have realized their weaknesses and tried to make them their strengths,” John said. “Next season, hopefully we’ll have a different outcome.”
Getting better is an imperative.
The Panthers went 3-8 two seasons ago, 1-10 last season. Coach Bill Curry retired, and of his assistants, only strength-and-conditioning coach Ben Pollard was retained by new coach Trent Miles.
Pollard worked the team hard in the offseason. John changed his body shape, spreading 298 pounds across his 6-foot-8 frame.
Height and weight are two of the measurables that led Miles recently to say that John is a “legitimate NFL prospect.” John is quick on his feet, good for reaching the point to take on rushing ends or linebackers, and has long arms, good for keeping those defenders from getting into his chest and possibly driving him backward. He is athletic enough to dunk, said he’s a pretty good sand volleyball player and played baseball at the Bradwell Institute in Hinesville.
Oh, and before he enrolled in college, he could do a split.
“It feels good (knowing he’s there),” quarterback Ben McLane said. “He’s a big old strong guy with a big old wing span. It really is comforting. He lets me know no one is going to get to me.”
John began to catch the eye of NFL scouts this spring during the school’s pro day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.02 seconds, a good time for an offensive lineman that was all the more impressive considering John wasn’t in shape. Shoulder surgery sidelined him for the spring and prevented him from participating in conditioning exercises.
Miles said he has since heard from “six or seven” NFL teams about John.
“When I hear something like that it pushes me to work harder,” John said. “When I don’t feel like I’m doing as good as I think I should be, I’ll push myself to get to that point.”
Pushing himself when he was a freshman was a problem. It wasn’t that he couldn’t. John pushed himself too much.
He would grow angry with the mistakes made by himself and others. He didn’t like some of the attitudes he saw. He said he would get hot-headed too quickly.
“I drilled myself a little too hard,” he said. “As the years have progressed, I’ve relaxed a little.”
John faces challenges this year. Because he missed spring practice, he is still learning some of the techniques in reading defenses that are needed in the new offense. Offensive line coach Harold Etheridge said John is catching up quickly and complimented his ability to be coached.
John said his biggest area of improvement is pass-blocking when in a three-point stance against a wide rusher. Last season, in most of the passing plays, John would set up in a two-point stance, which he said is easier to move out of.
Adding to the challenge, the quality of the competition figures to get tougher with the step up from the Colonial Athletic Association to the Sun Belt, which had four teams make bowl games last year. The conference’s computer rating, calculated by Jeff Sagarin, was higher than Conference USA’s and Mountain West’s ratings.
Throw in the new coaching staff, with a new offensive system led by Jeff Jagodzinski, and John faces several challenges in his final season.
But should he play well, the NFL may be in the future. John said it’s something he’s dreamed about since he was 9 years old.
“He’s your prototypical left tackle,” said Etheridge, who compared John to Doug Free, whom he coached at Northern Illinois and is now with the Cowboys. “(John) can block the edge, speed rushers, with great athleticism.”
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