For Rennie Curran, the dream to star in the NFL remains every day in a gym in Gwinnett County. There, the former Georgia Bulldogs star linebacker that Sporting News once called “the most dominant defensive player in the (college) game,’’ works out with former teammates like Michael Bennett and Aaron Murray, hoping to get that call from an NFL team.
If it doesn’t come, it won’t be from not trying.
Curran has always been a hard worker, born in Atlanta and raised until he was 10 on Buford Highway before his family moved to Snellville. There, he joined the Benton Broncos, a feeder football team for Brookwood High School and over a five-year period as a running back led the team to a 61-6 record.
His freshman year at Brookwood was not a pretty one as he did not get along with the freshman team coach, was moved to linebacker and almost quit. But his youth coach talked him out of it and when he stepped up to varsity he immediately stepped on the field and started.
During his three years for the Broncos, the team was 32-7, including an appearance in the Georgia Dome in 2005 in the Class AAAAA state championship, losing to Lowndes. Curran had 198 tackles that junior season. During his senior season, the team lost 10-9 in the first round to Roswell, the Hornets going on to tie Peachtree Ridge for the Class AAAAA title.
A four-star prospect with tremendous leadership abilities, Curran wanted to go to Georgia, but the Bulldogs and other major colleges were concerned about his 5-foot-11 height. But when Auburn came calling, the Bulldogs quickly offered Curran a scholarship and off he went to Athens, where he would become one of the best and more popular linebackers ever at Georgia.
As a freshman in 2007, Curran got his first start six games into the season against Troy and recorded five tackles and a sack. He ended up with 53 tackles, nine for a loss and three quarterback sacks that season. He received freshman All-American honors and as a sophomore started all 13 games and led Georgia in tackles (115), tackles for loss (10) and sacks (three). He also forced two fumbles in a season where Georgia beat Auburn in the “Blackout Game” and beat Hawaii in the Sugar Bowl to go 11-2. He was named captain as a junior and led the SEC in tackles with 116.
Then came a big decision; whether to turn pro.
Off the field, Curran was dealing with some personal issues, as the year before his daughter Eleana was born. He was also being told NFL by scouts that many teams questioned whether he could play in the league at his height.
But he felt he produced as much as he could on the college level and decided to go into the 2007 draft, getting picked in the third round (97th overall) by Tennessee.
When he arrived in Nashville, he found a team willing to give him a chance and played in nine games as a rookie. But then the lockout came, the Titans changed head coaches, and he didn’t have a team for the 2011 season. Curran was picked up by Tampa Bay in 2012, but didn’t see any action. He then went to the Canadian Football League and joined Edmonton, where he played in 16 of 18 games and had 70 tackles, including two interceptions. He had another good season with the Eskimos in ’14 before deciding to try the NFL again last season. But there were no callers and midway through the season he went back to the CFL and the British Columbia Lions, where he finished the season.
Today, Curran is waiting and working, prepared if anyone calls.
But he also has begun his career off the field, writing a book called “Free Agent: The Perspectives of A Young African-American Athlete.’’ The forward is written by Mark Richt. He also is four classes from graduating from Georgia with a degree in business and is a motivational speaker as well as a talented drummer. He also can play the piano and the viola.
Where he lives: Curran lives in Doraville, is not married and has one daughter, Eleana.
What he does: Now 27, Curran will graduate from Georgia in May. He spends a lot of time with his daughter and said he gets a lot of requests to speak to younger people.
On committing to play at Georgia: "Georgia was hesitant about my height. Then Auburn slipped in and my youth coach called (former Georgia offensive coordinator Mike) Bobo and told him they better offer me or I would sign with Auburn. They offered me and I committed during the G-Day game my junior season.''
On getting his first real action at Georgia: "We were playing Tennessee and one of our linebackers got beat on a pass in man-to-man coverage and they put me in, and on my first play I tackled Arian Foster for a loss. We lost the game, but that was sort of my coming-out party. I then had a big game against Florida and didn't look back.''
On being a captain at Georgia as senior: "After we lost (quarterback Matthew) Stafford and (running back Knowshon) Moreno my sophomore year, it was a rebuilding job. I knew I had to step up vocally and be the person who kept everyone together on and off the field. But I was used to that and welcomed that. There were also a lot of things going on personally for me, so I had to balance it all.''
On leaving early for the NFL: "I had a little girl and taking care of her was a major factor. The fans really didn't know what was going on with me off the field, and I also felt like I had done all I could do in college. I knew I was going to come back and get a degree.''
On being drafted by Tennessee: "There were some teams that called me and said they were doing to take me in the second round but took another linebacker. They shouldn't have even called me. That was frustrating because that is one of the biggest days of a players' life, and they just let you down. But I enjoyed my time with the Titans.''
On trying to prove he can play in the NFL: "The only knock on me has been my height, but that is just something I can't do anything about. It's not like I can take anything to get taller. I still feel I can play and doing whatever it takes to get the chance. The shame of it was the second year with the Titans I led the team in the preseason in tackles, but they had a new coaching staff and drafted another linebacker. They had already made their decision. Yes, it's frustrating, but I began preparing for my off-the-field life a while ago. I am really excited about the fact that I will walk in May and graduate.''
On his book and motivational speaking: "It's not just about football. It's about how you handle getting fired from a job, how you overcome adversity. Like for me, I am being very proactive and not just waiting for the phone to ring.''
On Georgia letting Richt go: "I was very disappointed with how it went down. Everyone puts so much emphasis on wins. Coach Richt did a lot for the men in the program. He worked with a lot of players who didn't have a father and didn't have anything but left the university as men. That is the type of coach I would want if I was an athletics director.''
On the hiring of Kirby Smart: "He has done a great job with the transition, and I was excited to see they brought in a former Dog. But he hasn't faced any adversity yet, he hasn't played a real game. That will be the true test.''
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