The first time I met Eric Berry he was a junior in high school, and largely unknown outside of high school football and recruiting circles. But in those circles, he was a star, and one on the rise. Berry's star continued its ascendancy through all the recruiting hoopla, and even through the fire and brimstone baptism awaiting most freshman on SEC playing fields.
In many cases, the SEC is serves as a rude awakening for high school stars, chewing up and spitting out countless youngsters every August who swagger onto campus in the fall. Invariably most of those youngsters come to the realization that guys just as talented as them are already on campus, and have been working for two or three years to earn or keep the jobs they have.
Berry was the exception to that scenario. He landed in Knoxville with as much hype as any recruit of the Phillip Fulmer era, and then pulled off one of the most difficult tricks in all of sports. He lived up to it.
"I think the season went exceptionally well, but I had a lot of help from the players and coaches. Jonathan Hefney in the defensive backfield with me, Jerod Mayo anchoring the middle; I had a lot of good players around me. I give the credit to them and the coaches," the low-key Berry said of his phenomenal freshman campaign.
"I wasn't expecting that (success) at all. I actually came in thinking I would just be a part of the nickel package, but things kept getting better and kind of went my way. I just thank the coaches for the opportunity.
The list of freshman honors he earned was lengthy, included freshman All-American honors, All-SEC recognition and being named SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year. He led the Vols with five interceptions and broke a 37-year-old school record by compiling 222 interception return yards, topping the previous mark of 177 set by Bobby Majors in 1970.
For Berry, meeting Majors seemed like as big of a deal as breaking his record.
"It really did shock me," Berry said of his interception return record. "I actually had a chance to meet Mr. Majors at practice one day. He was just joking around with me about it, it was great. I certainly didn't expect to do it, that's an accomplishment I didn't expect.
As Phillip Fulmer would tell anyone who would listen near the end of the season; Berry wasn't just one of the best freshman defensive backs in the league, he was one of the best defensive backs period.
When I met him that first time at that NIKE Camp in Athens, that kind of success would have been impossible to predict. But it also wasn't something that seemed completely out of the realm of possibility. The kid looked that good, that early.
The stories were out in Georgia before his junior year was even over about a kid flat out dominating the competition in the Atlanta area. By the time I met him that spring in Athens, less than two years ago, it was already abundantly clear that Berry was going a very big deal on the national level.
It was also apparent, because of the connection with his father James, that Tennessee was going to be a player in that recruitment. Because of that, I was interested to not only see him compete, but to see how Berry would be to deal with.
He was wearing a big cast nearly up to his elbow on his right arm that day that he had earned from breaking his wrist in a long-jump competition. Because of that he wasn't competing in any of the drills. But with the competitive juices flowing, on a whim he decided to get timed in the 40-yard dash.
He dropped his backpack, put his awkwardly-casted hand on the ground and ripped off a 4.33 electronically timed 40-yard dash. People stood there in shocked silence. It was the fastest time of the day in a camp that drew big time athletes from all over the place in the heart of the SEC's recruiting breadbasket.
It was a showstopper, to say the least.
People were talking and whispering about him the rest of the day, wherever he walked on Georgia's sprawling outdoor practice complex. I watched him a few times to try and get a feel for his response to what was some obvious adulation, and he seemed completely oblivious to it. He wasn't shy, but it was clear that he didn't actively seek out the spotlight, or call attention to himself for anything other than his ability.
We chatted for a bit latter that day for a story, and I was impressed again. As it turns out, Eric Berry was a pleasant kid. Bright, personable, well-spoken, and pretty much unaffected by the hype. Not exactly a given among some youngsters who get so much attention so early.
The next time I saw him in person was more than a year later, at Tennessee's media day inside Neyland Stadium prior to the 2007 season. By that time he was the gem of a top-five recruiting class and a young man that a passionate fan base was already showering with adoration reserved only for its most favored sons.
I was more than a little interested to see what an extremely high-profile recruitment and every accolade you can imagine had done to the quiet, engaging 17-year old I'd met before.
Turns out not much. The kid was taking it all in stride. Berry was more than aware that a starting spot was a possibility and big things were expected of him. And while he certainly didn't come off as cocky, he did come off as ready. In two-a-days started and Berry went off-limits to the media per Tennessee's policy on freshman. But he didn't disappear. In fact, he started showing up all over the place on the practice field, getting first-team reps the first week of practice (unheard of for a freshman) and making big plays when he got a chance in team scrimmages.
Before September was over he had his first interception return for a touchdown, and after he almost single-handedly beat South Carolina with an interception and a 51-yard fumble return, he was a full-fledged icon in Knoxville and a very popular figure on campus.
Having been familiar with Tennessee football through his father long before he was a prospect, Berry knew full well the kind of adulation comes with success on the football field. And he was ready for it.
Asked what it was like morphing into a bona fide college football star while getting used to being a college freshman, Berry revealed perhaps his greatest asset, the kind of uncommon maturity to match his athletic ability.
"It kind of felt good, but at the same time in the back of your mind you have to realize that a pat on the back and a kick in the butt are only six inches apart," Berry said of the quick attention he received. "You can take the hype and the compliments, but you have to keep moving working.
"That comes from my dad and my high school coach, my defensive coordinator Johnny White. They always made sure to tell me to stay humble and keep working. Coach White is kind of like a godfather to me, I still talk to him almost every day."
That kind of grounded sensibility made Berry predisposed to handling success, and it also gave him the tools to achieve it early on.
You often hear about super-talented freshman getting by on ability, and while Berry probably could have done that and survived, he wasn't satisfied with it. Film study isn't something that comes naturally to many players, but Berry embraced, especially when he saw the benefits of it on the field.
"Around the South Carolina game things started to slow down. I started watching a lot more film and kind of got used to offenses. I started to see a lot of things come at me in the game that I was seeing on film. From that time on things kept slowing down," he said.
Asked what kind of positive reinforcement it was to have an interception and a fumble return for a near-score in that South Carolina game, after he said he really started to delve into film-study, Berry laughed and said, 'I started watching film a lot more'.
His maturity can be seen in his ability to adjust to the college game so quickly and handle the hype that's come with such an adjustment. It can also be seen in a decision he made long ago to focus on defense, rather than try to get himself recruited as an offensive player.
There's no question that Berry would be a nightmare to defend with the ball in his hands on a consistent basis. He's aware of his talent, but he's also aware of how valuable he is as a defensive player.
"Not at all," Berry said when asked if he was upset about not getting a look on offense this fall. "Coach Fulmer and those guys know what they're doing. I have complete faith in them. When I'm ready they'll put me over there.
"I kind of took it upon myself to play defense (early in my career). Offensive players are kind of a dime-a-dozen. If you know how to play defense, it's a good thing to do."
Without question Berry has laid the foundation for what could be one of the most dazzling careers fans of seen in Knoxville. That sounds like hyperbole, but the facts are the facts, and he's coming off a freshman season like few have seen.
Longtime members of the program, not given to grandiose statements, like defensive coordinator John Chavis, will tell you with a straight face that barring injury Berry will leave as the greatest defensive back the Vols have ever had and maybe the best defensive player period.
Berry has come a long way since I saw that kid toss his backpack on the grass and stun an entire football camp with his speed. And he hasn't stopped stunning people since.
It's hard to believe that just a little over a year ago he was dazzling a few thousand people in high school bleachers and not 100,000 people in Neyland Stadium. At that time the people singing his praises were high school football fans and local reporters.
These days it's
Sportscenter anchors and front-page feature writers.
You'd think all that would turn a young man's head, give him at least a whiff of entitlement and maybe bring out a little bit of his inner-Rock Star.
That might be true in many cases. But it's not in this one. And once you realize that aside from maybe 20 pounds of muscle, Berry is the same guy he was before every football fan in the SEC knew his name, then you'll know the biggest secret to success and why the label 'can't miss', so rarely applicable, fits like a glove in this case.
More From Berry
Since Berry was arguably the most talked about player on the team this past season it would be a crime to waste any of his lone interview since the pre-season. With that in mind, here are some more snippets from Berry's brush with the microphones on Friday.
Berry on where his inclination to be a big-hitter came from
It comes from home. My coaches always just instilled in me that when you hit somebody try to inflict pain. Not to hurt 'em to put them out of the game, but to let them know that your presence is there and they'll be scared to come back through your area.
Berry on his 90-yard interception return against Florida
I thought I was dreaming to tell you the truth. I couldn't even hear the crowd. I couldn't believe it was happening.
Berry on Jonathan Hefney
Being under the tutelage of Jonathan he taught us a lot. He taught us what to look for, certain characteristics to watch for with the offense. That's going to serve us well this year. I give a lot of credit to Jon, he didn't have to do that.
He's been like a big brother and a mentor to me more than a teammate.
Berry on the return of Demetrice Morley
It's a big deal to have him coming back. When I was up here for the Florida game on a visit I remember watching him play. Now that he's back we hang out all the time; me, him and Brent (Vinson). He's a big playmaker. I love having him back. We'll probably be on the field at the same time from what the coaches are talking about.
On his 'welcome to college moment'
I had a welcome to college moment in two-a-days. I got pancaked by big Ramon Foster once when I was kind of standing around the pile. He cleaned my clock, kind of ran through me like a rag doll, so I guess that was kind of my welcome to Tennessee moment.
