Shrine Bowl WR ready to go
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- Vanderbilt wide receiver commitment Steven Goulet of Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork arrived Saturday morning at the Radisson Hotel for the 69th annual Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas and gave an exclusive interview to Rivals.com about the event, his expectations for college and the Commodores 2005 season.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound Goulet said it was an honor to participate in the event.
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"It's an honor to get to play in this game," Goulet said. "I just want to play a little bit and have fun mostly. Hopefully, I will get some catches."
Kickoff is 1 p.m. next Saturday at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College.
Goulet committed to Vanderbilt on Sept. 28 ahead of scholarship offers from West Virginia, Temple and Furman.
"When I went up to West Virginia, it was a little cold up there and it was far away from home," Goulet said. "Vanderbilt was a little bit closer to home. Plus, they recruited me hard and they seemed like they really wanted me."
He expects to make an immediate impact.
"Next year I hope to get up there and start a little bit," Goulet said. "I don't want to redshirt. I hope we have a good season. We have a couple of players coming back, but we lose our quarterback."
The success of Earl Bennett, who was a freshman All-American this year at Vandy, has Goulet inspired.
"I think I can learn a lot from him," he said. "He wasn't one of the bigger prospects in the nation and I'm not one of the bigger prospects in the nation, either. He just got good one year, so perhaps I can do the same thing."
Passing game coordinator Jimmy Kiser is Goulet's recruiter of record for Vandy.
"Coach Kiser is great," he said. "He told me how much he wanted me and really showed me a lot of interest. He came to my house a couple of days ago."
Vanderbilt's 5-6 season, particularly its first win against rival Tennessee in 22 years, was impressive to Goulet.
"I thought Vandy had a great season," he said. "They competed with a bunch of teams in the SEC. I think they have the ability to compete more often in the SEC."
Goulet also commented on the Commodores' 49-42 double overtime loss to Florida Nov. 5 in Gainesville.
"I talked to the coaches about it and they said they were going for two."
Goulet and his Sandlapper teammates start practice at 9:30 a.m. Monday on the campus of Dorman High. Stay tuned to Rivals.com for complete coverage of the Shrine Bowl of the Carolina throughout the week.