Sophomore speedster who was the Gamecocks' top kickoff returner in 2007 as a true freshman... moved to free safety in the spring after playing wide receiver as a freshman... big time talent who is expected to play a lot in 2008... named the Most Improved Safety during the spring... listed on the second team coming out of the spring, but figures to see plenty of action in the "nickel" and "dime" packages... has made one career start. 2007: Named to the All-SEC Freshmen team as a kick returner by the Sporting News... returned 34 kicks for 809 yards as a true freshman... his 23.8-yard return average ranked eighth in the SEC... his 809 kick return yards ranked second in school history, behind only the 880 yards logged by Dick Harris in 1970... had a trio of 44-yard kickoff returns, once at LSU, another against Mississippi State and a third at Arkansas... also played wide receiver... did not catch a pass, but did log five carries for 31 yards... 21 of those yards came on two carries against Georgia... sprained his left ankle in the win at Georgia and was held out of the South Carolina State game... made his first and only start at wide receiver against Tennessee. HIGH SCHOOL: Accounted for over 270 tackles in his final two seasons at Garner (N.C.) High School... credited with 147 tackles and four interceptions as a senior... although he started only a handful of games on offense, logged 1,500 all-purpose yards and returned four kickoffs and two punts for touchdowns... was the MVP for the East squad in the Offense-Defense All-Star Game after catching three passes for 97 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown reception... also played in the Shrine Bowl... produced 127 tackles, seven sacks and two picks as a junior... was a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, the Gamecocks' first five-star signee since Demetris Summers in 2003... considered by Rivals.com as the top player in the state of North Carolina and the third-best wide receiver in the country... Rivals.com ranked him as the 19th-best prospect in the country regardless of position, making him USC's highest-rated recruit since Greenwood linebacker Ricardo Hurley was ranked No. 17 among the class of '02... a four-star prospect and rated as the No. 13 safety in the country by Scout.com... rated the 37th-best defensive back in the nation and the seventh-best player in the state of North Carolina by SuperPrep... did not play football until his sophomore year... has a 34-inch vertical leap... selected Carolina over Florida and NC State. PERSONAL: Chris Culliver was born August 17, 1988... is a sport and entertainment management major. |
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