Troy defensive back ready to shine

TROY — Courtland Fuller has done everything right for Troy when given the chance. He just came at the wrong time.

Fuller signed with Troy in 2005 and redshirted that year, but when he was ready to play, he found himself a year behind Tavares Williams, Terence Moore and Sherrod Martin.

So he carved a niche on special teams, and made some big plays when one of the safeties in front of him had to come out, getting big sacks against FIU and Western Kentucky.

But after a long four years, it’s Fuller’s time to shine. He’ll be the starter at strong safety this year. Fuller spoke with the Dothan Eagle about the upcoming
season.

How is this summer different for you?
Everybody’s expecting me to be a playmaker. Whenever I run into Coach (Larry) Blakeney, he’s always saying, ‘You ready to make a play, 18?’ I say, ‘Coach,
I’m always ready.’

You’ve been ready, right?
I’ve been ready for a while, I just had a couple of guys in front of me. I’ve accepted it, and I took some of their game and added it to mine. Hopefully I can have
an outstanding season this year.

How are you different than the guy you’ll be replacing (Williams)?
To tell you the truth, I’ll probably end up playing free and strong safety, but I’m really going to replace (Williams). I feel like I’m probably as fast as him. I’ve got
way better hands than him, but don’t tell him that because he’s not going to believe you.

You had a big interception return for a touchdown in the spring game. What made you decide to somersault into the end zone?
It was something that the defensive players were wanting to do. During the week of practice, whenever the receivers like (Josh) Jarboe would catch a
touchdown, they would overexaggerate and act like they’ve never been there before. I had to show them that I’ve never been there before, so I flipped in the end
zone.

You haven’t been there, yet, so you had good reason, right?
I’ve had some sacks, but I’ve never been able to get my hand on the ball. When I get my hands on the ball, I’m going to try to make a play.

Are you going to get tackled by quarterbacks like Boris Lee has?
Hopefully I won’t get tackled by a quarterback so they won’t pick at me. Boris is 240 pounds. He shouldn’t be brought down by anybody.

How good can the defense be this year?
With the front seven, we should be real good. Everybody thinks we’re not experienced (in the secondary), but we’ve all played a lot. It shouldn’t be a dropoff.
We should have a pretty good defense.

Who are some other guys to watch out for in the secondary, besides Jorrick Calvin?
Chris (Bowens) really had a good spring. He showed me some things that I was really impressed about. When he played corner, everybody said he was soft,
but with him playing safety, he’s going to be one to really watch out for.

So with you and Chris being seniors, there shouldn’t be reason to worry?
We’ve been here, so there shouldn’t be any problems. We’re just ready to get to the first game to get all the jitters out. I’ll probably be a little nervous, because
this will be my first career start. The first big hit will get me going.