WEATHERSPOON: Tiger on the Prowl
Lott Profiles 0904: For Use as Desired
Sean Weatherspoon would like to be Aaron Curry. At least as far as football success goes.
After his junior season at Wake Forest, Curry was projected as a third-round NFL draft pick. The linebacker opted to return to school. Following his senior year, Curry was named the winner of the Butkus Award and was the fourth overall selection in the April draft.
Curry was also a finalist for the Lott Trophy.
Now, Weatherspoon envisions a similar path – at least. He, too, was told he would be a third-round choice, despite the fact he had an All-American season at Missouri and had an All-World game in the Alamo Bowl (17 tackles, MVP of the game). He was a finalist for the Butkus and a quarter-finalist for the Lott.
He’s baaaaack.
Back at Missouri and back on the Lott Trophy Watch List. The Lott Trophy is awarded to the college defensive player who has the biggest IMPACT* on his team both on and off the field.
(*IMPACT stands for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity).
NFL scouts would like to see the 6-2, 235-pound Weatherspoon do a better job of shedding blockers.
“I’m a strong enough guy to work on that, but you know, going against your own team in practice, you don’t really get the opportunities to smash with the linemen,” Weatherspoon said. “Hopefully, I can work on that.”
“You give him little things to work on, and it’s amazing how he comes out and gets better,” said Dave Steckel, the Tigers’ defensive coordinator. “That’s why he’s the player he is, because he’s extremely coachable and he takes it to heart. He’s a joy.”
He’s also the face of Mizzou football in ’09, with his face on the schedule, media guide and other promotional items.
“I’m definitely OK with that,” Weatherspoon told Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune. “You’ve got to live your life a certain way … and you’ve got to take care of business in Columbia because you know how Columbia is: Everyone knows everything. You’ve got to keep up a good reputation and not let it slide. I think it’s a great challenge for me, but I think I’m doing a great job so far. I kind of like it.”
Steckel is confident Weatherspoon will live up to that standard.
“An old wise man told me once that leadership is self discipline,” he said. “That’s why Sean’s a great leader. He’s got self discipline. He does what he’s supposed to when he’s supposed to do it.
”He certainly y does on the field, leading the Big 12 in tackles per game last season (11.1 per game, 155 total) and recording a team-high 18.5 tackles for losses.
“He’s a great kid. We got the full package there, and the more experience he gets, the more people will certainly recognize him,” Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel said.
Contact: Pete Donovan
For more information on The Lott Trophy, go to: http://www.lotttrophy.com