Bucknell University Athletics
David Ulmer Has A Knack for the 'Art' of Playing Linebacker
10/27/2004 8:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 27, 2004
Previous installments of "Meet A Bison":
Sept. 21, 2004: Daris Wilson, Football
Sept. 29, 2004: Aaron DeGraffenreidt, Football
Oct. 13, 2004: Nisan Trotter, Football
By Jon Terry, Bucknell Athletic Communications
When head coach Tim Landis is asked to pinpoint grounds for Bucknell's defensive renaissance thus far in 2004, his immediate response is typically that an added year of experience and comfort has paid significant dividends. No player personifies that thought more than senior linebacker David Ulmer.
Three games into last season defensive coordinator Tripp Merritt asked Ulmer to move from his inside linebacker position -- perhaps the deepest of all the defensive units at the time -- to one of the "knocker" spots, which is a hybrid between an outside linebacker and strong safety.
Despite having only three days of practice to prep for his new role, he recorded an interception against Columbia in his first game at knocker and finished the season ranked fourth on the team in tackles with 54. While his production was solid on paper, Ulmer admits that he really never did feel comfortable outside as the Bison went on to finish with a 6-6 record a year ago. The knockers in a 4-4 defense are responsible for more pass coverage than a typical linebacker, and the man-to-man techniques and learning to play in open space presented a significant learning curve.
"It was a tough adjustment at first, to tell you the truth," Ulmer recalls. "For most of the season I was learning every week, learning the coverage skills. I don't think I was as confident and comfortable as I had been in the past playing other positions. This is I-AA football, I was playing this new position and there were a lot of fast guys out there running around. I tried my best for the team and for Coach Merritt, but it was nerve-racking at times because I just didn't have the confidence that I needed to have."
After switching back to inside linebacker during spring practice, Ulmer was notified over the summer that he would be back at knocker this fall, a development that the Farmington, N.Y., native took as a compliment.
"I wasn't upset or disappointed that I was back outside," says Ulmer, who despite his rearing in the heart of Buffalo Bills country roots for the Chicago Bears, thanks mostly to childhood idol Walter Payton. "I was actually really excited about the challenge. The coaching staff wanted to get the best 11 players on the field, and they thought I had the ability to play there. Coming into the preseason I was a lot more focused on playing there. And now if you were to ask me which position I'd rather play, I'd say knocker. I feel like it's more my role this year and I feel a lot more comfortable in it."
Multiply Ulmer's tale of familiarity by eleven, and it is easy to see how the Bison have cut their average yards allowed from 407 last year to 318 this season. Most important, Bucknell is allowing only 18.6 points per game in 2004, a touchdown better than a year ago.
"Last year we were a pretty young defense," Ulmer says. "Guys like Kevin Ransome, Corey Mayo, Jeff Montagna, Virgil Rush, Jerome Acy and me, we have been here for a while now and we have gotten used to playing with each other and playing for each other. We're getting used to the new defense. I wouldn't say last year was a test run, but we were still kind of getting used to it. Football is football and defense is defense, the ultimate objectives are still the same, but the schemes and your role in it was different. The defensive coaches have made a lot of helpful adjustments this year that put people in the right kind of scenarios where we can make plays."
When Ulmer was being recruited to come to Bucknell by former assistant coaches Mike Morita and Joe Tillman, his position placement was a bit more complicated than simply which linebacker spot he would play. At Victor High School outside Rochester, Ulmer was a two-time New York State Section 5 Player of the Year - on offense. As a running back he racked up 2,897 yards and 31 touchdowns in his career while setting school records for rushing yards in a game (245) and season (1662), as well as rushing touchdowns in a season (20). Ulmer also shattered the school mark for career tackles en route to two first-team all-state citations.
"Most schools looked at me more as a linebacker," Ulmer remembers. "I wasn't a typical type of tailback in most college offenses, especially the old one that we ran here at Bucknell. I was just excited to get the chance to play college football, and I didn't really have a preference for offense or defense."
Ulmer began feeling the pressure from college recruiters as early as his sophomore year in high school, including many from major-conference Division I-A programs. Admittedly, though, he approached the recruiting process with a great deal of apprehension.
"I think I just really procrastinated for a long time," Ulmer offers. "I really didn't want to think about college yet. I was kind of scared because it was such a big process and I had no experience with it. It was all new to me. It came down to the schools that kept showing the most interest in me, good schools with good reputations."
At the urging of a high school friend who had already been admitted through early decision enrollment, Ulmer visited Bucknell for the first time in the winter of his senior year, quickly bonded with several of his future teammates and committed to the university not long after.
Not only will Ulmer become a rare four-year letterman this year, but he will also graduate with a degree in art, an unusual major among Bison student-athletes. He has studied a wide variety of art, ranging from painting to sculpture to photography -- both film and digital -- and has yet to decide upon which discipline he will pursue professionally. Fulfilling a true liberal arts education, he has also taken courses in subjects ranging from biology to sociology to logic, and done well enough academically to earn spots on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
"I've done a little bit of everything, and I'm planning on going to art school," says Ulmer, whose older sister, Nancy, also studied art at the University of Dayton. "I'm not quite sure where I'm going to go yet. I'm actually thinking of taking a year off to work and build up my portfolio a little more, then make a decision on the concentration I want to get into."
"It feels strange to have to think about that stuff now," admits Ulmer, who sees many similarities between the college recruiting and job search processes. "I just turned 22 in September. It's kind of a scary feeling. Sometimes I feel a little directionless, compared with some of my friends who have already done some interviews. That kind of comes with my major and what I want to do. It's really something that you need more schooling at. You go to an art school and maybe do an apprenticeship."
"I've always had a knack for being creative, good drawing skills through grade school. I was a little hesitant coming into college what I wanted to do. But from talking to a lot of people I realized the best advice was just to do what you enjoy doing. There are a lot of people who may just pick a study so they can get a job, work for 30 years and retire. But I'd rather do what I enjoy and try to find something professionally to do with that."
For now, Ulmer knows that he is down to his final six collegiate football games, and nothing would make him happier than bringing a Patriot League championship to Lewisburg later this fall.
"One of the biggest focuses is to finish games this year, to play four quarters," comments Ulmer, who is the youngest of four children. "Early in the season last year we got beat on field goals or late TDs. We have to be a team that plays four quarters and finishes the big games. We are right up at that level with a lot of good teams, but when it comes to the close games in the last minute we have to finish it. It's an attitude. It's about who wants it more. A lot of teams are in the same position right now in the league. Every game is important from now on. We definitely have to take it one practice and one game at a time. You can't look at the big picture. You can have [a championship] in the back of your mind because it's a great goal to have, but you can't be distracted by thinking into the future."
Not looking too far ahead is a concept Ulmer has lived by, and he will tell you things have worked out just fine so far.
