Saturday, August 13, 2005
Freshman wide receiver Marcus Herford darted up the field against junior cornerback Charles Gordon and suddenly stopped. Gordon stopped too, giving Herford the opportunity to take off again, and catch a pass that would have warranted a touchdown if it had not occurred in practice.
Not a small feat considering he was up against Gordon, who was a third team All-America selection last year.
Herford has impressed many of his teammates and coaches during training camp thus far, as he transitions from being a quarterback to being a wide receiver.
“Marcus is doing well. He is a young man that is very powerful. He is a good blocker on the perimeter,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “He is starting to learn the little nuances that are important to running pass routes and getting leverage on defenders.”
Herford is learning those nuances through friendly competition with Gordon and other defensive backs.
“We do have a little rivalry going; It’s all in fun. He is my teammate, it’s all in getting me better and getting him better,” Herford said.
Wide Receiver Marcus Herford catches a pass during the open practice Thursday on the team's practice field behind Anschutz Sports Pavilion.
Herford was originally recruited to be a quarterback for the Jayhawks and worked on the scout team as a quarterback last season, as he took a redshirt. Herford was highly touted out of high school as he was rated the 25th-best dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com.
When he began spring practices, after last season, he worked as a quarterback until Mangino decided that he might be better used at the wide receiver position.
“He is a good, hard-working young guy,” Mangino said. “We are hoping that he will be ready to make a major contribution, and he is certainly on that path.”
Herford is using his experience as a quarterback to help grasp the position better.
“At quarterback, I didn’t see some of the things the receivers were talking about, but now with me being a receiver, I see openings and stuff like that,” Herford said. “While I am running those routes, I know where to go, what moves to make to get open.”
The DeSoto, Texas, native is using Gordon and fellow wide receiver, senior Mark Simmons, to improve as well.
“If I run a route bad, they are going to let me know it. They are doing a real good job to help me perfect my routes,” Herford said.
Gordon feels that sometimes Herford may think too much when he is on the field.
“We are trying to get him to use that speed to his advantage,” Gordon said. “Sometimes he thinks a lot in his routes. We need to get him to not think so much and just run the routes.”
Herford is expected to bolster a wide receiving corps that is expected to be led by Simmons and junior college transfer Brian Murph, Jr. His size and speed are what teammates are raving about.
“He is a bigger receiver, a more physical receiver; He’s got some speed,” Gordon said.
Simmons believes that the addition of Herford as a wide receiver may give the Jayhawks an advantage when throwing the ball deep downfield this season.
“He was a quarterback so he understands how to read defenses,” Simmons said. “Everyone we have at wide out can stretch the defense.”
—Edited by Jayme Wiley
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