Corey Fuller’s journey from NFL to Central Michigan


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Central Michigan graduate assistant Corey Fuller gets ready to warm up CMU's wide receivers in preparation to play Buffalo on Oct. 6 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.

Corey Fuller was unsure if he would attend the 2018 American Football Coaches Association Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Following a last-second decision, Fuller traveled to Charlotte for the event from Jan. 7-10, 2018.

“Why not?” Fuller recalls thinking the morning of his departure.

One of the first coaches he spotted was Central Michigan head coach John Bonamego, who was a special teams coordinator for the Detroit Lions in 2013 and 2014. At the same time, Fuller was a wide receiver in the Motor City. 

“What are you doing here?” Bonamego inquired. 

“Nobody picked me up,” Fuller responded. “I haven’t got a call yet and am looking for what’s next.”

Following five years in the National Football League, Fuller was released by the New Orleans Saints on November 6, 2017, due to an undisclosed injury. Two months later, he was at a coaching convention.

It was not the first time Fuller faced heartbreaking news.

Central Michigan graduate assistant Corey Fuller played for the Detroit Lions from 2013-16. (Photo Credit: Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete enrolled at the University of Kansas in 2008 on a track and field scholarship. He competed in the 100 meters, triple jump and long jump over the course of two seasons. 

Watching his younger brother, Kyle Fuller, join Virginia Tech out of Mount Saint Joseph High School as a three-star cornerback, the wide receiver wanted to get himself back into football with the Jayhawks for the first time since taking the gridiron for Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland.

Kansas said no.

Instead, Fuller transferred to Virginia Tech as a walk-on in the fall of 2010 and took a redshirt. He was put on scholarship and finally saw playing time in 2011 – two receptions for 19 yards.

Without expectations of anything, Fuller became a starting receiver in 2012. He started eight of 13 games, making 43 receptions for 815 yards and six touchdowns in his final collegiate season.

The results were enough to get him selected in the sixth round, No. 171 overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Lions. Fuller spent the entire 2013 season on Detroit’s practice squad. 

Fuller finally made the Lions active roster on Aug. 30, 2014. He played 15 snaps on Sept. 8 for his NFL debut. Six weeks later, he caught his first NFL touchdown – a five-yard leaping grab from quarterback Matthew Stafford to help the Lions earn a 24-23 comeback win against the Saints. 

Offseason foot surgery in June 2016 placed Fuller on the physically unable to perform list. He was activated in mid-November but sent to the practice squad a few days later on November 20, 2016.

During his time on the Lions active roster, Fuller said he stood back, observed and didn’t step up.

“That one hurt the most,” Fuller said of being sent to the practice team in 2016. “When you’re young and in the NFL, you just think it’ll be there. I didn’t take advantage of a lot of my opportunities.”

The Saints signed Fuller off Detroit’s practice squad on December 19, 2016, but he was released 11 months later. Even though he never played for New Orleans, Fuller claimed to be at the best of his career but an injury was the deciding factor. 

Fuller’s NFL stat line includes 18 receptions for 228 yards and one touchdown. 

He eventually moved on with some help of Bonamego. 

Bonamego told the 28-year-old at the coaching convention in January 2018 that there might be a position open at Central Michigan for the upcoming season. Instead of waiting around, the NFL free agent did a few internships through the NFL Players Association. 

Time was coming around for the start of CMU’s spring camp, and Fuller had not yet heard from Bonamego regarding a spot on the coaching staff.

So, Fuller reached out again. 

The result – Bonamego offered him a quality control coaching position. Fuller accepted. 

“I just wanted my foot in the door, especially from a guy like Coach Bono, who I’ve always had respect for,” Fuller detailed.

Throughout spring camp, Fuller worked as a quality control coach. Prior to the start of fall camp on Aug. 3, Bonamego offered Fuller a graduate assistant spot. 

“What’s rare is having a guy that’s played in the NFL, has humility and professionalism and does the job of a graduate assistant,” Bonamego said. “I think that says a lot about his work ethic and character. He adds a lot to us.”

For Fuller, it was the best of both worlds. He is now able to gain experience as a coach while pursuing his master’s degree in administration.

Fuller considers himself lucky because his NFL career lasted five years. For some, playing at the highest level is never a reality or it abruptly ends early. 

Due to his personal experience, Fuller stresses to CMU football players the necessity of getting a degree. 

“I tell the guys that football isn’t going to last forever,” Fuller said. “If you take advantage of getting your business degree and go to the league, then you’re going to make money on and off the field.

“I made it to the league, but I am back here going to school now. Education is important.”

Corey Fuller (second to left) poses for a picture with his brothers Vincent, Kyle and Kendall. (Photo Credit: Michael Lebrecht II / Sports Illustrated)

The reality of life after football was not a foreign concept to Fuller. His eldest brother, Vincent Fuller II, 36, is a retired NFL safety who spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans. He decided to leave football to become a lawyer in 2011 – just before his Corey’s breakout season at Virginia Tech. 

Corey also has two younger brothers – Kyle and Kendall Fuller. Kyle, 26, is a cornerback for the Chicago Bears after being selected No. 14 overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. The youngest Fuller is Kendall, a cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kendall, 23, was selected in the third round, No. 84 overall by the Washington Redskins but was dealt to the Chiefs in the trade for the Redskins to acquire quarterback Alex Smith on Jan. 30, 2018.

The four brothers talk all day, every day. In need of life advice, Corey, Kyle and Kendall call Vincent. To know more about wide receiver routes, cornerbacks Kyle and Kendall talk with Corey. Getting his feet wet as a coach, Corey asks all three of his brothers how to help the Chippewas improve on and off the field. 

“We are all blessed from the man above,” Corey said of his relationship with God. “Without Him, we wouldn’t be where we are as a family.”

A lot of people have no clue where Corey went. It seemed as if one day he was in the NFL and the next he was in Mount Pleasant – population 26,313. 

Corey loves to move silently, as do Vincent, Kyle and Kendall. 

“We don’t ask for attention or want attention,” Corey said. “Life is about putting your hat on and going to work. 

“Wherever that is.” 

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