University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Ernest Gunn's Football Life Full of Adventures
8/23/2019 6:52:00 PM | Football
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- When Ernest Gunn signed his National Letter of Intent in February 2015, Southern Miss was in the midst of a tough, three-season stretch. But from that moment, to even when he injured his knee in 2017 fall camp, he always knew there was something better down the road.
"Just listening to the old guys telling me to stay with it because it will all get better one day," Gunn said of his arrival to campus. "They saw the program progress. I believed them and trusted the program."
Gunn credits Cornell Armstrong, Kalan Reed, Curtis Mikell, Trae Collins, Kevin Williams and Walden Davis, among others, as influences in his early collegiate days.
That defensive back group includes three who reached the NFL, as well as one who earned his bachelor's and master's degree during his playing career. And yet, defense was not Gunn's natural position.
"I started playing football in ninth grade," he said. "I started playing offense until senior year until they needed a cornerback. I went in and since that day, that's where I've been. At first, I didn't want to play. You can't score TDs at corner. I had an offensive mindset. As it went on, I started getting more recruitment for defense, I saw it as my path."
Gunn also played baseball from his early youth throughout high school, primarily as a center fielder (if there weren't a more apt position for a budding defensive back). His Selma High School football program was, in his words, a lot like Southern Miss in that it had recent struggles but had a new coach that was picking up the pieces.
A knee injury he suffered on the second day of 2017 fall camp forced him to pick up the pieces in more than a physical way.
"No matter what happens, if I can keep the right mindset I'll keep pushing," Gunn said. "When I tore my ACL, it was at a point where I wanted to give it all up. It was my first injury, but I knew that if I could keep pushing and keep fighting, I can overcome anything. It made me stronger at USM and from high school on. My mom even calls me for advice to keep her going. It's helped me become stronger in everything in life."
Gunn's journey from freshman football to his redshirt-senior year at Southern Miss has continued to uncover truths. Gunn says he wants to go into construction once his playing days are behind him, and he traces those roots back to his high school coach.
"I like being hands-on," he said. "I got to build houses with my high school coach, and he taught me those trades. I learned with building, that when I cut my first piece of wood and he said 'once you get the smell of it, you're gonna wanna start doing it and eat the sawdust.' I didn't know what he meant, but when I cut the wood, it started flying everywhere near my mouth and he said 'now you'll wanna stay in construction your whole life.'"
Gunn and the Nasty Bunch will look to cut wood all season long, beginning Saturday, Aug. 31 against Alcorn State at 6 p.m. Season and single-game tickets are on sale via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK and visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
"Just listening to the old guys telling me to stay with it because it will all get better one day," Gunn said of his arrival to campus. "They saw the program progress. I believed them and trusted the program."
Gunn credits Cornell Armstrong, Kalan Reed, Curtis Mikell, Trae Collins, Kevin Williams and Walden Davis, among others, as influences in his early collegiate days.
That defensive back group includes three who reached the NFL, as well as one who earned his bachelor's and master's degree during his playing career. And yet, defense was not Gunn's natural position.
"I started playing football in ninth grade," he said. "I started playing offense until senior year until they needed a cornerback. I went in and since that day, that's where I've been. At first, I didn't want to play. You can't score TDs at corner. I had an offensive mindset. As it went on, I started getting more recruitment for defense, I saw it as my path."
Gunn also played baseball from his early youth throughout high school, primarily as a center fielder (if there weren't a more apt position for a budding defensive back). His Selma High School football program was, in his words, a lot like Southern Miss in that it had recent struggles but had a new coach that was picking up the pieces.
A knee injury he suffered on the second day of 2017 fall camp forced him to pick up the pieces in more than a physical way.
"No matter what happens, if I can keep the right mindset I'll keep pushing," Gunn said. "When I tore my ACL, it was at a point where I wanted to give it all up. It was my first injury, but I knew that if I could keep pushing and keep fighting, I can overcome anything. It made me stronger at USM and from high school on. My mom even calls me for advice to keep her going. It's helped me become stronger in everything in life."
Gunn's journey from freshman football to his redshirt-senior year at Southern Miss has continued to uncover truths. Gunn says he wants to go into construction once his playing days are behind him, and he traces those roots back to his high school coach.
"I like being hands-on," he said. "I got to build houses with my high school coach, and he taught me those trades. I learned with building, that when I cut my first piece of wood and he said 'once you get the smell of it, you're gonna wanna start doing it and eat the sawdust.' I didn't know what he meant, but when I cut the wood, it started flying everywhere near my mouth and he said 'now you'll wanna stay in construction your whole life.'"
Gunn and the Nasty Bunch will look to cut wood all season long, beginning Saturday, Aug. 31 against Alcorn State at 6 p.m. Season and single-game tickets are on sale via SouthernMissTickets.com, calling 1-800-844-TICK and visiting the Pat Ferlise Center during normal business hours.
Players Mentioned
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