Aug. 7, 2025
Ferris State quarterback Carson Gulker is excited to be back on the field with Bulldogs after devastating injury early last season
Carson Gulker has approached his long road to recovery, after suffering a devastating leg injury against Lake Erie College in Ferris State University's football home opener in 2024, with a laser-sharp focus and dogged determination.
After snapping a fibula and tibia on Sept. 7, Gulker had to face a long, painful recovery that took him into the winter off-season and from there to the spring ball schedule.
Enduring through those periods set the stage for his true return to college football this fall.
The 6-foot-3, 234-pound Zeeland native, who played at Zeeland West High School, has thoroughly enjoyed his return to the field alongside his teammates as a full participant.
"I'm back again this fall and finally feeling like I'm 100 percent," said Gulker, a senior in Business Administration with a 3.65 grade point average as a well-rounded student-athlete. "I've had to battle a lot of pain throughout the spring, but getting back out here for these first practices. I'm back to feeling explosive again. It's a great feeling."
In just two official games last season, Gulker completed 3-of-4 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown and had 10 rushes for 98 yards before suffering that injury early against the Storm as he attempted to finish off a long run, headed toward the end zone.
The nationally-ranked Bulldogs would win that game 56-3, igniting a 14-game winning streak that culminated in the program's third NCAA Division II National Championship in four seasons after a 49-14 win over Georgia’s Valdosta State University in the Dec. 21 title game in McKinney, Texas.
After the injury, Gulker drew inspiration from the outpouring of positive energy that Bulldog Nation offered as he worked to overcome not only the physical recovery challenges but also the psychological obstacles he faced.
"It was a little exhausting for a while, but now it's just kind of like a relief to be finally back," he said. "I'm just out here having fun, you know? You can take something for granted, and then it's gone, but then you get it back. It feels really, really good. So, I'm just thankful for every day."
Pre-injury, the West Michigan native had made a name for himself in NCAA Division II college football. As a redshirt freshman in 2022, Gulker was named the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year as he burst onto the college football scene.
He has amassed 1,687 yards rushing with 45 touchdowns. Through the air, as he has sharpened his passing skills, Gulker has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,450 yards and 15 touchdowns.
This fall, Gulker and his teammates are focused on a strong 2025 campaign as they work through preseason camp to, as he put it, "be the best version of us going into week zero."
Ferris State head coach Tony Annese saluted Gulker's remarkable comeback from such a devastating injury.
"He looks good. He has no apprehensions at all," Annese said. "You wouldn't know which leg was hurt. He's a warrior, a super young man and I'm really proud of him."
Once, Gulker was the young guy in the Bulldog quarterback room. While he might not call himself an elder statesman, he knows he enters this season as one of the experienced guys on a team with a lot of talent at QB.
"For sure, we've got a lot of talent in the quarterback room. Wyatt Bowers? Stud. He comes out here, he pushes me every day, I push him," Gulker said. "We're all constantly in each other's ears. Chase Carter's back and is looking really good. We have Leeshaun (Mumpfield). I think we're gonna be great."
The quarterback support is strong in the group.
"We have a lot of fun. We definitely push each other and help each other at the same time," said Gulker, who leads by example, but can also be that vocal presence.
The Bulldogs kick off the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28, when they host national NCAA Division II power Pittsburg State with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. at Top Taggart Field.