Former Duke point guard Greg Paulus says he'll bring the work
ethic and winning culture he learned from coach Mike Krzyzewski to
the starting quarterback job at Syracuse.
Paulus, who graduated early from Duke and received an NCAA
waiver to play football for the Orange as a graduate student, was
named the starter by coach Doug Marrone this week after just one
week of practice.
"Having the experience and the opportunity to play for Coach K
and Duke, it prepared me for everything," Paulus said in a
conference call with reporters Wednesday.
"Playing in a lot of big games and playing in that type of
atmosphere has allowed me to learn from that culture, to build on
some of the things I had in high school and I'm trying to bring
some of that here to Syracuse," he said.
Paulus was a Parade All-American as a record-setting quarterback
in high school in Syracuse, before deciding to pursue basketball at
Duke.
After graduating, he worked out for the Green Bay Packers,
acknowledged meeting with Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez about
playing for the Wolverines, also visited Nebraska and said he was
contacted by about two dozen programs.
He said transferring to Syracuse put him in the unique position
of being able to get his masters degree at a top broadcasting
school and return to football field in his hometown.
"I have two passions when it comes to playing sports and having
the opportunity to do those at the highest level, at the ACC and
the Big East is something that is very unique, I understand that,"
he said.
Paulus said he's received the support of his teammates,
including sophomore Ryan Nassib, who had been No. 1 on the depth
chart.
"Whenever I have a question or whenever I don't understand
something, we're usually talking about it," he said. "He's been
absolutely great to me, and I really appreciate that."
Paulus said that after this season, he plans to pursue some new
dreams that involve the NFL, coaching and becoming a broadcaster.
But first, there are some team goals to accomplish.
"We want to come out and we want to win some games and we want
to turn this in the right direction," he said.
The Orange open the season Sept. 5 against Minnesota in the
Carrier Dome, a place Paulus used to come and watch games as a
child.
He's excited about that, but is focusing right now on learning
the offense.
"Each day I feel and believe that I'm getting better, whether
that's with footwork, ball handling, consistency with the throws
and the reads," he said. "And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm
trying to get better and this team is trying to get better."