Fulghum Knocking on the NFL Door

Texas Southern senior linebacker Dejuan Fulghum has had what many would consider a dream season. After struggling in the early years of his career, Fulghum finally found the success he longed to bring back to Tiger land in 3rd Ward Texas. Since Fulghum first arrived on the campus of TSU, he has conquered all of the obstacles that stand in front of him one tackle at a time. But know he faces a new hurdle in his hopes to compete as a professional in the National Football League.

When Fulghum came to TSU as a freshman, he walked into a program that was in its worst shape ever. It showed in his first season when Fulghum and the Tigers went 0-11 losing every single game of the 2007 season. Things would improve in 2008 with the arrival of Head Coach Johnnie Cole as the Tigers started over from scratch and tried to find the formula for success.

“It was probably the worst times of my football career. I was trying to figure out why God brought be to this university,” said Fulghum.

Although Fulghum was one of the top tacklers in the SWAC, he did not receive any recognition, because the team had very little success. The Tigers went 4-8 and started to show signs that there may be light at the end of the tunnel for the TSU football program. When the 2009 season came, the Tiger defense started to make noise becoming the best defense in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Fulghum gave another top notch performance as one of the leading tacklers in the SWAC achieving 2nd Team conference honors, but with a team record of 6-5, Fulghum wanted more. This all built up to the championship run in 2010 where the Fulghum and the “212” degree defense help anchor the Tigers to their first outright title in school history.

“I’ve learned to expect greatness out of our program year in and year out,” said Fulghum.

“It feels great to set a foundation for people to follow through and build on top of. It was a gratifying feeling that I could be a role model for people to follow.”

During Fulghum’s career, he outlasted four position coaches and three defensive coordinators before he found success with Coach Kevin Ramsey who would lead the team to its highest ranking defense in the history of TSU football. Fulghum gives all of the credit of his recent success to his teammates who achieved a number one ranking in total defense in the Football Championship Subdivision. Team achievements like these on the defensive helped Fulghum get recognized as one of the premier players in the nation along with teammates Johnny Hollins and Marquis Jackson. All three players were named to the FCS All-American team for their performance during the Tigers’ 2010 title run. Fulghum was the only senior of the three and hopes to be the first one of them to make it to play ball on the professional level.

“I learned a lot when Coach Ramsey became the defensive coordinator and I began to understand how a good defense is supposed to work giving me the knowledge that made me a better player,” said Fulghum.

Curtis Thomas, another key player on the boiling hot defense known as “212”, has been here since 2008 and played alongside Fulghum in three of his four seasons as a safety. Thomas and Fulghum have been through most of the Tigers’ rough days together and have helped the defense go from one of the worst to one of the best defenses in the country.

Thomas, a Houston native recently received news that he will be invited to an NFL camp and has a chance to play for his hometown Houston Texans. Fulghum has not heard any news from a team yet, but hopes to get a phone call from a coach who wants to take advantage of the skill set that he can bring to an NFL team.

“I was happy for my teammate, but now I’m just waiting for my opportunity to come next,” said Fulghum.

The NFL Lockout has kept pro scouts from contacting Fulghum about the possibility of inviting him to camp for a tryout. Fulghum, who most scouts will view as undersized at 6’0” 224 pounds in comparison to the average 6’2” 240 pound NFL linebacker, needs an opportunity to show teams that what he can do on the field outweighs any doubts they may have about his athletic abilities.

“It’s hard to tell what they think of my abilities because of the lockout, so they haven’t been able to contact me or my agent,” said Fulghum.

Fulghum hopes that the resume he has created from his college career will propel him into a pro team’s NFL camp after the lockout is over. Fulghum racked up numerous awards in 2010 including the Mel Blount SBN Defensive Player of the Year for the best defensive performance in all of black college football.

“Just having that championship experience helps me know that I can bring a winning attitude to a team on the next level.”

Fulghum is known for his playing ability, but might be recognized among his teammates as a valuable leader on the field and a passionate person who gives all he can in every play of every game.

“I’m a very passionate player who plays extremely from the heart and I love this game, and even though I may lack the typical height and weight, my playing ability on the field speaks for itself,” said Fulghum.

With his proven perseverance and the drive that he displays on the field, it’s only a matter of time before Fulghum’s talent falls into the hands of an NFL team and develops into a thriving career in the pros.