Life has been different for Corey McCullough over the last few months and that goes beyond the Coronavirus pandemic that has affected everyone in the country in some form or fashion.
The former Louisville High School football standout completed four great years at Alcorn State as a kicker and punter. Before he could even finish his career, though, he was offered a job as a teacher and coach at his alma mater. It was something he couldn’t turn down and it’s set him up better than most players at this stage of life.
“I just want to give back to kids for the next few generations. My fall back is to be a teacher and a coach like I have been,” McCullough said. “It was weird at first being so young and going back to my high school that I graduated from three or four years ago. I’ve gotten respect from everybody and it’s a great opportunity there. The principal and superintendent are great, and the football team is full of great coaches.
“I’m just trying to adapt and learn everything that I can and be the best that I can.”
McCullough finished out the semester as the head soccer coach and he’s going to start working with the football team as special teams coordinator in the fall. But before next year begins, McCullough isn’t quite ready to give up on his dreams of being a professional football player.
In college at Alcorn State, McCullough made a name for himself and broke nearly every record in school history. He’s the all-time leader in field goals made with 45 and holds the single-season school record of 17. He helped the team to two SWAC conference championships in a row and also was named All-Conference this season.
His work got him some attention from scouts around the NFL and gave him some hope that he could earn an undrafted free agent spot somewhere in the league next season. Scouts from the Baltimore Ravens and San Diego Chargers have showed interest and it led McCullough to get more training done with former NFL great John Carney who kicked in the league for four decades.
“He saw some potential in me and gave me some things to work on last year. I went back this year and kicked well,” McCullough said of Carney. “There were a lot of other free agents there and I held my own. I enjoyed working with him because he treats everybody the same. He’s going to be honest with the scouts when they call and ask about you, but he treats everybody the same while we train.”
Training had been going well for McCullough until the pandemic changed plans for everyone. He still pushes himself on a daily basis to stay in shape and has been working out with a trainer while in Louisville.
“I was really busy when school was going on with teaching and coaching,” McCullough said. “I would go work out after all of that with Sean Greer who is phenomenal. I give him a lot of credit for getting me back in shape and staying on me. But since he Coronavirus stuff happened everything has slowed down. I’ve been pretty consistent with getting all of my workouts in.”
Next week is the NFL Draft and McCullough isn’t expecting to hear his name called in the seven-round selection. He does, however, believe that he’s got a shot of getting a call after it ends and finding a roster on which he can play.
This week he plans to release a virtual pro day video that showcases his skills as a kicker and a punter. He’s hoping that catches the eyes of NFL scouts. If not, he’s open to playing in the Canadian Football League or an arena league. But everything is gravy from here for McCullough as he has his options full for his future. It’s the benefit of versatility.
“I’m just hoping I get a phone call. I’m going to keep kicking and put my video out there,” McCullough said. “My punting has grown tremendously in the last few years. A lot of NFL punters are 6-foot2- at least so me being 5-10 or 5-11, I’ll probably be a field goal guy. But I’ve always been a firm believer in having a lot of tools on your belt.”
