College Football Interview: Corey Wootton

Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago, the Washington Times, and the The Sports Bank.
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Corey Wootton Interview


In 2008, Northwestern finished just one win shy of the school record. They found success primarily because of their defense, as the �Cats set a single-season defensive rushing record, holding their foes to 126.4 yards per game. Ahead of the previous school record from the Wildcats� mythical 1995 Rose Bowl season. Newly installed defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz brought in a new attacking-style defense, and the aggressive style paid off as NU recorded a Big Ten-best 34 sacks, 18th-best in the country.

Playboy Preseason All-America Defensive End Corey Wootton led the way with 16.0 TFL�s and 10.0 sacks. He enters his final season ranked fifth on NU�s career list for TFL�s (16) and fourth on NU�s career list for pass sacks (15.5). �Coreysaurus� Wootton also enters Saturday�s season opener against Towson on the watch lists for the Hendricks, Bednarik, Nagurski, Lott and Lombardi Trophy. The 6�7� Wootton explained to me how he got that moniker:

�I got dubbed that nickname from a teammate of mine that just graduated, Todd Dockery cuz of my long neck. I used to be real thin when I was a freshman. Since then he�s always called me �Coreysaurus.� Excuse me for not having a Coreysaurus graphic from PhotoShop. Although a picture of the Coreysaurus Rex stomping on opposing QBs is something the NU marketing department should seriously look into making and distributing. I also asked Wooton about his height affecting his game:

�It works to my advantage having a long wingspan, the height, being able to get my hands into the passing lanes, leverage and separation from people. But at the same time it can be a disadvantage. You�re more of a target o get cut {blocked underneath by opponents} things of that nature,� he stated. I brought up how his long arms helped disrupt the passing lanes of Missouri�s Chase Daniel, a 5�10� quarterback, in last year�s Alamo Bowl.

�When you have a shorter quarterback, the angle that they�re projecting the ball isn�t going to be as high as someone who�s 6�4�, 6�5.� You just got to get your hands into the passing lanes a lot and hopefully bat it down,� he responded.

Wotton is tabbed a first-team All-Big Ten preseason selection by Lindy�s, Athlon Sports, Phil Steele�s and Sporting News. He�s got his eyes set on improving a few things to live up to that. �Working on my second and third moves, I feel like I have a pretty decent first move, but working on that second move, that counter, improving aspects of my footwork, run defense, and all that I�ll continue to work on though the season,� Wootton said. Last year, he set the bar high, so he�ll need a really big year to top it.

He was voted first-team All-Big Ten by conference coaches and the team�s Most Valuable Player. For the second season in his career, he recorded a statistic in every major defensive category (tackles, TFL�s, sacks, pass deflections, interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, QB hurries and blocked kicks).

Moving forward, I asked Corey who he thought the best player comparison for his game would be �It would be cool if they said the next Julius Peppers. He�s a tremendous player, a tremendous athlete, we have kind of similar size. One day I hope to even touch the waters of what he is, a truly tremendous a player,� Corey answered.

I then mentioned how rare it was for a defensive player to receive Heisman votes, and Peppers actually finished in the top 10 in 2001 voting. �It�s expected for mostly offensive players, quarterbacks, wide receivers, running backs to get those awards, but when you get recognized for that, especially at defensive end, a position that�s not as highly publicized as other positions, it�s a great honor and it shows what a legacy he left. Not only at North Carolina, but in college football,� He replied. It�s true that DEs don�t often get the pub, but perhaps that�s changing?

�Defensive ends get publicized more than interior linemen and offensive lineman probably because they�re the pretty version of a lineman. You stand up sometimes, you�re on the edge. They�re a little leaner. So they�re publicized, but not as much as linebackers and defensive backs. The game has changed so much over recent years. Julius Peppers was a freak of nature back then and now you�re seeing guys who have tremendous size and athleticism everywhere,� Wooton said.






Related Links:

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2010 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings




Written by Paul Banks of NBC Chicago, the Washington Times, and the The Sports Bank.
Send Paul an e-mail here: paulb05 AT hotmail DOT com.
All other e-mail, including advertising and link proposals, send to: [email protected]










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