Xavier Cullens doesn’t just love competition. It’s an addiction that fuels the Memphis senior linebacker both on and off the football field.
Drilling on the practice? He must do them the best. Taking notes? He wants the most detailed notes. Playing video games with fellow linebacker Tyler Murray? Murray usually wins, so they have to keep playing.
“It’s just natural. It’s something I’ve been doing since childhood. I like to participate in everything I do,” said Cullens.
Even during film sessions, Murray marveled at Cullens’ intensity. If Murray points to something, it just makes Cullens hungrier to find something else to point to.
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Sometimes the intensity can go too far. Cullens had nine tackles in last week’s win over Navy but will sit the first half against Arkansas State (1-1) on Saturday (6pm, ESPN+) due to a fourth quarter targeting penalty.
“It’s play faster, get takeaway, get tackles,” Murray said of their friendly competition. “If I beat him in Madden, he will always want to switch teams.”
Yet that same intensity also fuels his latest goals at Memphis (1-1). Leaves a legacy with how hard he played.
As one of the final links to the Tigers’ Cotton Bowl team in 2019, he wants his teammates to see the same passion he saw in former linebackers Genard Avery, Curtis Akins and JJ Russell.
Even coaches have noted that freshman defensive coordinator Matt Barnes called Cullens’ play during spring practice inspiring.
“He plays at speed two and everyone plays at speed one,” Barnes said. “When you see someone who performs at that high level and has some energy and energy about the way he’s doing it, it’s hard not to get inspired.”
Growing up in Mississippi, Cullens said he was always motivated to prove himself in sports and outdo everyone he faced. He wore that attitude in high school, where he played basketball and baseball in addition to football.
But another side of his drive comes from a place outsiders might consider morbid. Death, he said, could come at any moment, so why not go all the way?
It’s not paranoia, but Cullens puts it matter-of-factly to remind himself not to waste time. He hasn’t seen any deaths among relatives lately. It’s just something he takes into account.
“You see death all the time, so you just have to try not to take life for granted and enjoy every moment,” Cullens said. “You have athletes dying every day, whether it’s a car accident or just overnight. So that’s a big factor. Time isn’t guaranteed to anyone, so I try to use it because time moves fast.”
The feeling hit Cullens more towards spring. It was the last time he prepared for a full season in Memphis, just as Saturday will be his last home opener. So it urged him to not only play harder, but also become a more vocal leader
Linebackers coach Jordon Hankins noted that Cullens’ style — which he called pure — motivates others to follow suit. There’s just something about his passion that makes football fun and less business-like.
“He’s one of those players that he’s going to show you his actions and his energy on the pitch is infectious. How he plays and how he runs around in real life,” Hankins said. “When you see someone like Zay, he loves play football.”
Murray noticed after he switched from Charlotte for the spring. He wanted to be challenged in his final season and Cullens made it easier with his personality.
“I didn’t really have anyone to compete with at my old school, so it’s just really good to have him,” Murray said. “He pushes me more to want to be like him and to be better than him.”
Football could end this season for Cullens or it could continue at a professional level. But until then, he’s holding nothing back. Every practice, match or meeting is an opportunity to empower his teammates so that he can have the greatest impact.
It can be fun, inspiring or pure for the people around him. But for Cullens, it’s just doing what he’s been doing for years and another season means no chance of losing the same lead he’s always shown.
“I want to go out with a bang and I want to leave a legacy,” he said. “Whether it’s (my) character or how I played the game, take care of myself (or) what I do.”
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You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_B) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com
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