Indiana WR Donaven McCulley Talks About Teammate Omar Cooper Jr.
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00:00 >> What was it like for you to see Omar play well on Friday?
00:04 >> It was exciting, I'm on the sidelines just watching him catch a hit and
00:10 just turn up field or something like that.
00:12 I just love to see that, I love to see my brother eat.
00:16 >> What's it been like for you being in the same wide receiver room as him?
00:19 >> It's been extremely fun, the camaraderie of our group is extremely close.
00:26 And we just keep getting better every day.
00:30 >> Is it different with him specifically though,
00:31 going to get during your high school quarterback?
00:34 >> Yeah, I just I kind of know how Omar is and
00:39 I'm just real close to Omar so it's really good.
00:42 >> What's that relationship like?
00:44 >> It's like my little brother so it's just we're real close, we're real tight.
00:48 >> He's a guy catching passes from him and as a former quarterback, talk about
00:52 Taven, what you like about his game, what he does well,
00:56 how he makes your job a little bit easier.
00:58 >> I love how he just, I love how he carries himself,
01:01 like carries himself with a lot of confidence.
01:03 And sometimes we will make eye contact during the game and
01:08 I'll know exactly what he wants me to do or something like that.
01:11 So I love how he carries himself with confidence.
01:14 >> Having been a quarterback yourself,
01:15 how much does it help your mindset to know that you're the guy?
01:19 I mean, can you kind of put yourself in his shoes in that respect?
01:23 >> Just being the guy, you just gotta just go out there and do your thing, really.
01:29 I feel like he's done a really good job of doing that.
01:32 >> Did you guys know each other when you played in high school,
01:36 did you know each other well?
01:38 >> I knew him a little bit, we kind of talked like before games and
01:42 stuff like that, so we kind of tasted a little bit in high school.
01:45 So I knew him a little bit.
01:47 >> What speaks about, what stands out about Louisville in the game?
01:55 >> Louisville, they're pretty aggressive on the outside, that's what they,
02:01 I haven't really dove into the film like that yet, but
02:05 I know that they're pretty aggressive on the outside and the perimeter.
02:07 Things like that.
02:08 >> From your game, what do you want to improve on?
02:13 What's your next step?
02:15 >> Just my speed and my drive phase, just getting off the ball and
02:20 continuing to run on deep routes, things like that.
02:23 So just catching deep balls down the field.
02:25 >> In the spring, you talked about kind of trimming some weight and
02:30 just trying to become a little faster.
02:32 Do you feel like that's showing up in the first couple weeks for you?
02:34 >> Yeah, definitely.
02:36 I feel like my body fat really dropped.
02:41 I think it's like four or five now.
02:43 So I feel really good out there on the field and
02:46 I think it really helps me play the game like how I wanna play.
02:50 >> When it comes to Omar, you've been here longer, but
02:54 he's been playing wide receiver longer.
02:56 How much has he helped you?
02:58 I mean, especially with the relationship you guys would have had previously.
03:00 >> Me and Omar, say we mess up something in practice,
03:05 we'll go over it after practice and we'll fix stuff together.
03:10 And he'll give me little nuggets of knowledge and stuff like that and
03:14 then I'll give him stuff to go off of too.
03:16 So we really help each other a lot.
03:19 >> Playing receiver in particular, I guess, in this too,
03:23 where does maybe having the dual football/basketball background help in terms of
03:28 maybe just some of the skills and some of the stuff you pull from one sport to the other?
03:32 >> Just being a receiver and having a basketball background,
03:36 it's kinda like playing one on one, when you're releasing off the line and
03:40 stuff like that.
03:41 So you really just wanna try to put a basketball move on a DB or
03:45 something like that, so that kinda helps.
03:47 >> Who's the best basketball player on the team?
03:51 >> Definitely me.
03:52 >> [LAUGH] >> Are there any receivers in the NFL that
03:56 you model your game on?
03:58 >> I like Drake Mundane, and I really love George Piggins.
04:03 I've been watching George Piggins since forever, since he was in high school.
04:06 So I really love watching George Piggins.
04:09 >> Did you ever go up against any corners who are in the NFL right now?
04:16 >> I think I went up, I think one of them from Purdue.
04:20 I forgot his name, but one of them.
04:24 I don't really remember.
04:26 >> You had the experience a couple seasons ago just starting as a young quarterback.
04:30 Do you take any of that experience and say anything to Taven about,
04:34 just he's starting his career?
04:35 Can you do anything from that?
04:37 >> I just tell him just go out there and do your thing, and be confident.
04:41 Trust your reach, trust your progression, and just let it rip for real.
04:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]