Jermaine Cunningham - The Strong, Silent Type
Sunday, November 22, 2009 | Football
By Kelly Bornemann, UF Communications
Jermaine Cunningham is a man of few words.
On a defense stacked with outspoken and exuberant players, this Gator tends to shy away from all the hype. The senior defensive end doesn't give big speeches or play up his press. Instead, he continues to set an example by practicing hard every day and focusing on his team more than himself.
Since committing to the Orange and Blue four years ago, Cunningham has been through it all, from injuries and illness to achieve success on the gridiron. Often straying away from himself in conversation, Cunningham attributes his defensive knowledge to players before him and his strength to those around him.
In high school, the Stone Mountain, Ga., native was a big fish in a small pond. He stood out among other players for his calm demeanor off the field and his strength and athleticism on the field. Accounting for more than 25 sacks during his senior year and leading Stephenson High School to the state semifinals as team captain, Cunningham had high expectations when choosing to attend the University of Florida over other schools in the Southeast.
While he was a highly-touted recruit for the Gators' Class of 2006, Cunningham had problems acclimating himself to college ball.
“When I first got here, it was a big adjustment,” Cunningham acknowledged. “I was used to just running around tackling the guy with the football. But in college it's a lot faster and there are bigger and stronger guys. I had to gain weight and re-learn the fundamentals.”
Luckily for the true freshman, he had some great examples to show the way.
Cunningham spent his first year learning from Gator greats Jarvis Moss, Derrick Harvey and Ray McDonald on one of the best defensive units in the country. Moss took the underweight, young freshman under his wing and taught him the fundamentals to college football.
"Being behind Moss, who is such a great player, I was learning the game from him," Cunningham said. "He helped me a lot. If there was stuff I needed help on or didn't know, he would show me how to do it, and eventually I got better."
Cunningham saw little playing time during his freshman year, accounting for two solo tackles and playing in seven contests. That didn't matter to him though, because he never once regretted not redshirting. Instead, he relished in the opportunity to be present at every practice and every game under the tutelage of the defense of the 2006 National Championship team.
"It's pretty hard to play as a true freshman on the defensive line in the SEC," said the Sociology major who is on track to graduate this December. "This is about the fastest conference in the NCAA and the players are bigger and stronger. Your mind has to be trained for it.”
All of his hard work learning the mental aspects paid off the following year, when Cunningham became a permanent starter with the absence of Moss, who was selected in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
Cunningham hit the field with great speed and agility, much like his mentor, and started making plays in the 2007 season opener against Western Kentucky. He followed fellow defensive end Harvey's lead and had two solo tackles, four total tackles and one quarterback sack for a loss of four yards.
His time spent observing Harvey, a future first-round NFL Draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, in the off-season paid off when Cunningham surpassed his teammate to lead all Gator defensive linemen with 64 tackles, 34 solo and 30 assisted for the season. That registered as the third-highest total among all linemen in the Southeastern Conference that season alone.
Cunningham also added 12 tackles for a loss of 58 yards and racked up 6.5 sacks for a loss of 40 yards. He returned an interception for 18 yards, deflected three passes and was credited with a quarterback hurry during the season.
The most notable game of his career came during a hard-fought 28-24 loss at No. 1 LSU on Oct. 6, 2007, where he recorded a team season-high 17 tackles, the most tackles by any SEC defensive lineman in a game that year.
After demonstrating his exceptional playing ability and dedication to his teammates, Cunningham was voted to be a 2008 captain and took the role to heart by setting out to serve as a positive example for his teammates.
“I just wanted to help the younger guys,” Cunningham said. “There is no such thing as perfection, you can always get better and if you practice hard, it'll show on Saturday.”
And practice he did. Cunningham went into the 2008 season determined to let his knowledge of the game and experiences at UF show through his performance on the field. En route to the program's second National Championship in three years, Cunningham was named SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week twice for his efforts against in-state rival Miami and Eastern Division foe South Carolina. He graded out a Champion against both LSU and UM and was also named UF's Defensive player of the Game against the Hurricanes.
Just one week after making a big statement with his efforts against Miami, Cunningham hyper-extended his leg after tackling a Tennessee running back during the Gators' 30-6 victory. He played through the injury throughout the game, but was forced to take it easy on crutches the following week. Cunningham didn't let the injury get him down. Instead, the AP Second-Team All-SEC selection bounced back without missing a game saying “the key is to give it your all.”
He demonstrated what it looks like for a player to give his all when he blocked Florida's first extra point since 2006 in the decisive win over Florida State. Cunningham followed the block the next week in UF's victory over Alabama in the SEC Championship Game with a key quarterback sack for a loss of 11 yards on a 3rd down and 8 situation during the fourth quarter, forcing a Crimson Tide punt. The next drive led to a Florida touchdown to secure the 31-20 victory, helping lead UF to its eighth SEC Title.
Throughout the 2008 season, Cunningham racked up 52 tackles, including 23 solo and 29 assisted, and ranked second on the team in sacks and tackles for loss, tallying six sacks and 10.0 tackles for loss during the season. He also forced three fumbles, the first of his career, and deflected four opponent passes.
This past spring, the two-time National Championship winner decided to forego the NFL Draft to build upon his experience at UF as a player, both mentally and physically, by coming back for his senior year.
While the season started off slow for Cunningham and several members of UF's defense, he's the first one to admit he wasn't playing to the best of his ability and he decided to change things up a little.
“My motivation is to keep trying to get better and get better every week,” he exclaimed.
Around mid-season, Cunningham broke out of his shell and emerged as a playmaker once again. Entering the FIU game, he now leads the team with 11.5 tackles for a loss of 47 yards in addition to 30 total tackles, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
“He's a tremendous athlete that gets after it every play,” said Vanderbilt right tackle Thomas Welch. “He's a smart player, a guy that doesn't make mistakes when you face him. He's their top guy.”
Cunningham's dedication can be seen off the field as well. Last summer, he continued his leadership role as a team captain for the 2009 Gator Charity Challenge. As one of six team captains, he selected his team members, chose his charity, the local chapter of the American Heart Association, and set out to raise awareness within the community about heart disease and strokes and leading a healthy lifestyle.
Cunningham was seen encouraging his teammates throughout the three strength competitions. While his team came in second place in the challenge, thanks to their hard work in the community and the pledges from those in attendance, they were able to raise $10,000 for all the charities involved.
With his outstanding character on and off the field, this silent leader is shaping up to follow in the footsteps of his mentors and join the ranks of the NFL come spring.
-UF-
