Trading Places
April 14, 2008 09:56 PM | General
April 15, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – When West Virginia offensive coordinator Jeff Mullen approached Bradley Starks about the possibility of playing some wide receiver the Unionville, Va., native admits he didn’t know what to think.
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| Redshirt freshman Bradley Starks is getting folks excited about his play at wide receiver this spring.
Brian Persinger photo |
Who could blame him? After all, Starks has played quarterback all of his life and played it quite well actually, racking up 6,331 yards and 70 touchdowns during his high school career at Orange County High.
Save for lining up at receiver just for fun in one game of his senior year, Starks had always been the one throwing the passes - not the one catching them.
“Once I thought about it I figured it was the best thing for the team,” Starks said.
And the best may still be yet to come. Since making the move two weeks ago, Starks has been the subject of a lot of praise from Head Coach Bill Stewart. After catching a 49-yard touchdown pass during last Saturday’s scrimmage, Starks was at it again on Monday afternoon, getting behind the defense and catching a long pass down the sideline for a score.
“Bradley Starks had another big touchdown catch for us,” Stewart said. “That was a big-time play. He just continues to get better every day and every play he lines up there.”
In addition to the obvious team benefits, the move could very well pay off for Starks in terms of significant playing time next year. With Pat White and Jarrett Brown being as steady as ever at quarterback, cracking the lineup behind center was very unlikely next season.
Jobs are wide open at receiver, however, and Starks concedes that the opportunity to contribute immediately to the Gold and Blue next fall has made the position switch intriguing.
“Being able to get on the field and play in front of 60,000 fans is very exciting. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” Starks said. “This will hopefully give me game experience and help me learn how to take the big hit and go back to the huddle and let my teammates know I’m alright.”
Starks says the transition has gone well from a mental standpoint but he readily admits he has a lot of work to do in nailing down the finer points of playing receiver.
“Mentally it’s been pretty easy so far. It’s not much different than quarterback because you pretty much have to know every position on the field when you play there,” Starks said. “I just take whatever I am doing and go 100 percent at it and never slack off. I just try to work hard everyday to get my mechanics down each day in practice. I’ve got a lot to learn but it’s been fun so far.”
One major adjustment has been the conditioning that it takes to be a wide receiver, a position where you run full speed on every snap.
“The first day there was a lot of running and my legs really took a lot. After that it has been fine as I get my conditioning to where it needs to be for a wide receiver,” Starks said. “It’s a process but I’m getting there.”
Starks has been like a sponge everyday in practice, absorbing coaching to learn the nuances of the position while not hesitating to ask questions when something doesn’t make sense.
“I ask Coach Galloway things when I don’t get something and he is trying to help me understand the concept of each route and each block as far as why we do what we’re doing,” Starks said. “It’s helpful to know why we do what we do.”
Playing quarterback and having the knowledge that comes with the position has been one of the reasons Starks has had a seemingly seamless transition during the last couple weeks.
“It helps a lot. It not only helps with knowing the routes but also with the spacing that I need,” Starks said. “Being a quarterback gives you that feeling of where open space is and where to go to.”
Starks admits that it is comforting to know he isn’t the only receiver trying to grasp new offensive concepts. With Mullen’s new offensive plans and philosophies, this spring has been about learning new things for every player on that side of the ball.
“It’s a lot easier now because it’s not just one person or a couple freshmen starting from scratch, it’s everybody,” Starks said. “We are learning together and trying to help each other in any way that we can. They other receivers have been great working with me.”
Starks was fair game for full contact for the first time on Monday, trading in his yellow, no-contact jersey reserved for quarterbacks for a white jersey alongside the rest of his offensive teammates.
“My redshirt year I was always getting hit by the first team so there is really no difference for me today,” Starks said. “The defense couldn’t wait for me to get it off so they could hit me. It’s just a part of football and it’s a lot of fun.”
As for a couple years down the road when the Mountaineers are in need of a quarterback, might it be a tough decision for Starks to move back under center and away from his pass catching duties?
“Not at all. I’m a quarterback at heart and that’s what I’ll always be,” Starks said.
For now he’s a receiver and a very productive one that adds another interesting weapon to an already potent offensive attack.
Briefly:
“Boy, Ellis Lankster is really coming on at corner and making it very difficult to complete a pass on his side of the field,” Bill Stewart said early Monday evening.
“We had several plays where our quarterbacks made the right read to an open receiver and man, JT Thomas just flat out came out of nowhere to deflect those balls,” Stewart said. “That was impressive to see.”
Stewart spoke about the success of the team’s recent visit to the hospital while pleading with fans to come out on Saturday to benefit a good cause.
“We need a great crowd on Saturday to support these players, but more importantly, to support the Children’s Hospital,” Stewart said. “I hope it’s 80 degrees with no precipitation and we can get a really nice crowd for this game.”
