Position switch smart for Auburn’s Furr

By Robert Rousseau  |   Sunday, June 08, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Auburn Tigers
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Let’s say that you’re a highly coveted dual-threat high school quarterback with 4.52 speed in the 40-yard dash and a 285-pound bench press. Now throw in some nice stats, maybe over 4,500 total yards passing and rushing and 54 touchdowns over the course of two years. Not bad, huh?

Good enough, in fact, to garner attention from schools like Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, South Florida, Tulane and Auburn.

Sounds like a Heisman Trophy winner in the making, doesn't it? But eventually the day comes when you would have to step onto the practice field with the guys from your chosen school. That’s when the realization that all of the players on the college football team you chose -- in this case, the Auburn Tigers -- were similarly sought after when coming out of high school for a reason: They’re also good. Further, you might find that you’re the odd man out in a quarterback battle between Kodi Burns and Chris Todd for the starting job.

If this article were about you, then your name would be DeRon Furr, a 6-foot-3, 212-pounder from Columbus, Ga., who probably knew the writing was on the wall the first time he saw Burns take off with the ball or Todd read a defense in Tony Franklin’s new spread scheme. Sure, he could’ve waited until his senior season to become the starter. Heck, you never know -- that still might happen.

But in the present, Furr did the smart thing. He chose to use that awesome athleticism of his toward a new end. The back end of the defense, actually, as a safety.

Furr was always a big, strong quarterback. He was always rather physical at a position sometimes known for housing the least physical player on the offense. Further, he was always fast.

And the aforementioned characteristics would seem to be the recipe for success at safety.

A smart move by Furr, and a potentially good one for the Tigers, too. Don't be surprised if Furr truly grows into an outstanding player. He certainly has the attitude to succeed.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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