Carlos Dunlap - Great Expectations
Sunday, September 20, 2009 | Football
By Kelly Reynolds, UF Communications
Carlos Dunlap was the Defensive MVP of the 2009 BCS National Championship Game, a match-up with the then-No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners that the Gators won, 24-14. For aspiring college athletes, it's the moment of all moments in college athletics – a national championship ring and MVP honors. It doesn't get much better than that.
For Dunlap, a North Charleston, S.C., product, the Defensive MVP honors came as a surprise. Sure, it was an honor for him to receive the prestigious award, but it also served as a wake-up call to the 6-foot-6, 290-pounder about what could be achieved when he reached his boundless potential.
Dunlap's football career can be compared to a mini roller coaster. It all started at Fort Dorchester High School in South Carolina, where he was arguably the best football player at his high school – but it was different: Dunlap served as his team's kick returner, a task that was originally questioned due to the large nature of his size. When he took his first kick return to the house for a touchdown, there were no more questions – and he was given a nickname that would stick, one that would prove to have a great significance in college: 'Freak.'
For his elite athleticism, numerous scholarship offers were on the table, but Dunlap's decision came down to two SEC schools, Florida and South Carolina.
The roller coaster hit a high when the best athlete at Fort Dorchester stepped foot in Gainesville, but he was in for a surprise.
"You're the star in high school,” Dunlap said. “Everybody that comes to Florida is a star at their high school. When they get here, they expect to make plays like they did in high school and contribute quickly like they did in high school. It's an adjustment that you have to make."
Dunlap's freshman year as a Gator proved to be a challenge, a low on the roller coaster of his football career. Immediately earning a lackadaisical reputation after extremely high expectations, Dunlap only totaled seven tackles compared to the 105 he collected his senior year in high school.
"When I came in, a lot was expected of me," Dunlap said. "When I messed up, coaches got on me, and I took it the wrong way.”
Adjusting to the coaching style on the collegiate level took time. Dunlap learned a lot from his first season donning the Orange and Blue. He learned what it takes to be a stand-out defensive end by watching one of Florida's greatest players: defensive end Derrick Harvey, who went on to become a first-round NFL draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dunlap learned to accept coaches' constructive criticism, and the tough love that comes with it. He learned a lot about playing with endless energy and effort, and then he started the climb back to the top.
"I wanted to help my team get back to the national championship game," Dunlap said. “I wanted to work hard to make myself better, and I wanted to work hard to make the team better."
A boost of confidence and motivation, mixed with a lot of relentless effort, brought Dunlap's career at Florida full circle, but it wasn't until he was standing on the podium at the 2009 National Championship Game, MVP trophy in hand, that he realized that hard work pays off and the sky is the limit.
It only took a 13-1 season, 9.5 sacks and a team-leading 13.5 tackles for loss later for Gator fans, and Dunlap himself, to recognize his potential. Already being compared to the Gators' all-time great defensive end, Jevon Kearse, who was known as "The Freak,” some fans from The Gator Nation call Dunlap "Freak II." Some call him "Baby Freak."
Despite four tackles, a half-sack, two stops for losses, a quarterback hurry and the critical field-goal block in victory over Oklahoma for Florida's second National Championship in three years, Dunlap was surprised to hear his name called as the Defensive MVP.
"When I think about the season, I don't even remember 9.5 sacks," Dunlap said recalling 2008. "I have six sacks that I remember I missed."
The change in attitude, confidence and motivation is apparent in all of Dunlap's actions. A 2009 Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List candidate, practice is easier and Dunlap's mentality is that of a champion. He already holds the most blocked punts (three) by a player in a single season in UF history. The record books are open and waiting and if he puts together a stellar 2009 campaign, he could be on track to take down Florida's single-season sack record of 13 (Alex Brown, 1999).
"Of course I want to try to go for that," Dunlap said. "After last year, they are going to be keying in on me."
Florida head coach Urban Meyer knows Dunlap is special, and just like his high school nickname, Dunlap has earned the same moniker at Florida: “Freak,” mirroring Gator great Kearse. With Dunlap's work ethic and renewed vision, the best could be yet to come.
“He's a freak. He does things that a lot of people can't do. He's got over a 35-inch vertical jump and an 88-inch wing span,” Meyer said. “I love him.”
-UF-
