TicketsMarch 30, 2009
By JOSH KATZOWITZ
Brandon Underwood had his first job audition Jan. 17 at the East-West Shrine Game in Houston, and by most accounts, he performed well and impressed possible future employers. Now, he's training in Nashville, away from his family and friends, but he's content with his decisions.
He's content to forgo a possible sixth year of college football eligibility to play one more season with the Bearcats. Content to get himself ready for the NFL Draft. Content to prepare himself for the beginning of his pro career. To start living in real life.
"I'm going to be competing against a million guys at my position," said Underwood, who split his time this season between cornerback and safety at UC and will try to make the NFL as the former. "I had to make sure I was mentally ready for the whole transition. That's pretty much it. I talked to my family about it and I thought it was the best decision I could make. You have to do what's best for your family." While Underwood looked to the future, he made sure not to forget about the past and present. During a recent telephone interview, he spoke at length about how blessed he felt. To have such a great family, to have transferred to UC, to have played for head coach Brian Kelly, defensive coordinator Joe Tresey and defensive backs coach Kerry Coombs. He says he's lucky to be in this spot, and perhaps, in some ways, he's exactly right.
Two years ago, hardly anybody could have predicted he'd participate in the East-West Shrine game in Houston and that he'd be preparing for the NFL Combine -- which occurs Feb. 20-26 -- and the NFL Draft, which happens two months later. Underwood had a strong career at Hamilton (OH) High School, and coming out of school, he was ranked by one recruiting service as the 16th-best cornerback prospect in the country and the 13th-best overall recruit in Ohio. He committed to Ohio State, and he thought all was well.
But during the Big 33 all-star game that summer, he injured his shoulder, and that wound plagued him the next few seasons. He didn't play at all in 2004 and was redshirted. In 2005, he made three tackles in the season-opener against Miami University, but he suffered another shoulder injury that kept him out the rest of the season.
In 2006, he participated in eight games, but it was clear Ohio State didn't think much of his ability; he competed mostly on special teams and as a backup defensive back. He also had academic problems that would have kept him off the Buckeyes team -- the coaching staff declined to renew his scholarship -- so really the only solution for Underwood was to transfer away from Ohio State.
"It was a great learning experience," he said last April. "Anytime you can't participate, you can always learn from the great people who play ahead of you. I learned a lot, and I'm still learning a lot. I just didn't take care of everything I needed to take care of. Academically, I would have been eligible, but it was a lot of other little things. I didn't do all the little things right."
He decided to fix it. He just wasn't sure where he was going to start over his career. Until he ran into former Bearcat Haruki Nakamura one day at a local Kroger.
The two had known each other from high school all-star games, and as they greeted each other and talked college football, Nakamura -- now a safety for the Baltimore Ravens -- rolled out his best sales pitch. Nakamura told Underwood he knew the perfect place for him.
"He said, 'You need to come to Cincinnati. People are going to be leaving after next year, and you'll have a great opportunity to play,'" Underwood recalled. "That was pretty much the biggest reason I came to Cincinnati."
Turns out it was a pretty good move. After a crazy academic load that included Underwood having to pass 21 hours of credit during the spring semester and 21 more during summer classes in order to become eligible -- all the while, he had to sit out his transfer year, the third season of college in which he didn't play -- he started the first three games of the 2008 season at the cornerback spot opposite Mike Mickens.
Then Underwood and DeAngelo Smith switched positions. Smith moved back to cornerback and Underwood went to free safety for the next seven contests. After Mickens was hurt in the Louisville game, Underwood took over for him for the final three regular-season games before moving back to free safety one last time in the Orange Bowl.
Overall, the season was a success for Underwood, who, two years ago, probably didn't envision himself in this spot. He made the 2008 all-BIG EAST first team as a safety, and recorded 66 tackles for the season, a team-high three fumble recoveries and four interceptions.
Originally, Underwood thought he might try to earn a sixth-year of eligibility, but after watching former UC quarterback Ben Mauk struggle and ultimately fail to convince the NCAA, he decided after the Orange Bowl to try to earn some money. And with his four-tackle performance in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17, he's put himself in the crosshairs of NFL scouts who want defensive back help. The all-star game gave him an opportunity to show what he could do on the field and how fast he could learn a new defensive scheme.
"It is a tough transition," Underwood said. "At both the positions, you're looking at different keys. We had limitations on what we could do as far as the game -- we could only play two different coverages -- and not being able to get used to the playbook, it's tough. Besides that, I felt good.
"It was a great experience. When I first got down there, we went to the (Shriners) hospital and spent time with some of the kids. As far as practice, they were high intensity practices. They were shorter, but a lot of working on technique. You got to learn different things. You got to go against all types of different guys. You get to see so many different playing styles."
He also impressed some of the media types covering the game.
According to The Sporting News: "Underwood, who transferred from Ohio State, shows good athleticism and stands out amongst the defensive backs. He is raw in terms of reading receivers' routes, but consistently shows the quickness, fluid hip movement, closing burst and ball skills to break up passes. He has NFL athleticism but must improve his technique."
He's currently trying to improve at the D1 Sports Training of Nashville complex, where he's roommates with Rice receiver Jarrett Dillard, a fellow Shrine Bowl participant and one of the top pass catchers in the country.
Most of all, though, Underwood is happy to have this opportunity and happy he could rejuvenate himself at UC.
"After I lost my scholarship at Ohio State, I wasn't too sure I could even pursue my dream of playing professional football," Underwood said. "But this opportunity presented itself. There have been people in similar situations that only played a year but didn't get the chance to get invited to the Combine. There are people who have played four or five years that didn't get invited. I'm just blessed that Coach Kelly gave me the opportunity to play at Cincinnati. I was fortunate enough to have great players around me. I had great players in DeAngelo and Mike. I was blessed to be able to fit into the scheme all around. Just having the year under my belt at Cincinnati, I've been blessed."
(This story was previously printed in the Bearcat Sports Digest.)