DeAndre Jules using final college football season as proving ground against SEC competition
At the end of last season, DeAndre Jules reached out to his head coach, Pat Narduzzi, about whether he should enter the NFL Draft. The five-year veteran of the ACC appeared in all 12 of the Pittsburgh’s contests last season, starting in six of them. Jules logged 24 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble in those games.
If he wanted to explore a professional career, he certainly could have. But he ultimately decided that waiting another year would be in the best interest of his potential professional football career.
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He also believed that a change of scenery, one that included an uptick in competition, was in order. So he joins South Carolina’s defense in hopes of building his stock even higher.
“I had quick talks with Coach Narduzzi about it. But I didn’t like my prediction at the time. I wasn’t a draft-able guy at the time after the season,” Jules said. “I felt like I needed to use extra year to help my stock, and I feel like I’m doing it good now, being in the SEC.”
Jules, an aspiring NFL player, is hoping a strong season along the Gamecocks’ defensive line will help vault him into the upper echelon of professional scouts’ draft boards.
“I feel like I need to prove that I can play in the SEC. I can be one of those guys that’s talked about in the first, second, third round,” Jules said. “And I feel like, with this team, it will help me boost my notoriety and my name, especially after we win games this season.”
Jules said his decision to commit to South Carolina after entering the transfer portal stemmed from his desire to play against SEC competition. But he also developed strong relationships with Shane Beamer and defensive line coach Travian Robertson.
Robertson has been especially helpful for Jules’ development, he said.
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“Coach T-Rob’s been great in my process. He helped me out a lot with schemes and stuff and knowledge of the game,” Jules said. “He also played here, so I can see it through this eyes.”
Although Jules has yet to play a conference matchup with South Carolina, he has matched up against his teammates with SEC experience during preseason practices.
He said he hasn’t noticed any significant differences between the competition levels of his former and current conference. But he knows playing in the SEC comes with a certain degree of name recognition unlike any other.
“It’s football, at the end of the day,” he said. “It’s going to be the same stuff. I think it’s just having that SEC name — going against the Alabama’s LSU’s, Kentucky’s, Texas A&M’s, all those guys…and performing — will help me boost my draft stock.”
The NFL Draft hasn’t been, and won’t be, at the forefront of his mind throughout the season, though. Jules said he will remain focused on the team’s success first and foremost until his college career is over.
“I’ve just been here, trying to be where my feet are,” Jules said. “I haven’t really thought about the next step — the NFL — yet. I’ve just been trying to work with the team and moving forward to the season, trying to win every week. So, when that time comes, I’ll think about the NFL and go on from there.”
