Friday, September 5, 2008
Sitting in Mrkonic Auditorium wearing a black T-shirt, pants and a red backpack, Daymond Patterson, the 5-foot-9, 175-pound freshman wide receiver/punt returner, looks a little out of place. At the moment, he looks like a lost child. It’s hard to believe Patterson electrified Kansas’ special teams during last week’s victory against Florida International, turning in four punt returns for 135 yards, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown.
“I just followed my blockers, and they took me to the endzone,” he tells a few reporters who ask him about his touchdown return.
To put into perspective how out of place Patterson looks, 6-foot-3, 200-pound sophomore wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe is also in the room surrounded by the media. Briscoe, still tying his tie, looks as if he is headed to Massachusetts Street for a post-game dinner at Teller’s. With his size there’s no mistaking him as a Division I football player.
Meanwhile, junior quarterback Todd Reesing, also encircled by the media, is sitting across the room and telling a couple of reporters that Patterson, though talented, looks as if he should be playing “pee-wee” football. Like Reesing should talk. Donning a swanky suit, Reesing, at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, looks as if he could be on stage with the Jonas Brothers.
On first look, it’s hard to tell Patterson was a first-team All-Texas selection at wide receiver. Matter of fact, it’s hard to imagine Mangino was able to get a first-team All-Texas receiver to commit to Kansas. After all, in a state where football is religion, surely a giant such as Texas, Texas A&M or Texas Tech would have snapped him right up, right?
But for what the football giants of Texas missed out on, coach Mark Mangino certainly knew what Patterson would bring to Kansas.
“He’s a very, very mature guy,” Mangino told reporters after the game. “As soon as he walked here in the complex at two-a-days, he gave you that impression that he can make that transition from high school to Division I without too many bumps in the road.”
We’ve heard the story before. An undersized all-star from Texas is overlooked and comes to Kansas. In 2006, Mangino removed the redshirt from a freshman quarterback who led the Jayhawks to a comeback victory against Colorado. That quarterback’s name is Todd Reesing. Reesing, an Austin native who was the 2005 4A Player of the Year in Texas, slipped out of Longhorns coach Mack Brown’s backyard.
In 2007, an underrated Reesing put up better numbers than legendary little-man Doug Flutie had as a quarterback in his Heisman Trophy season.
With one game and one touchdown under his belt, Patterson has already been an improvement in Kansas’ punt-return game. Anthony Webb, last year’s starting punt returner, had just 16 yards in 19 returns.
As the smallest player on the roster, Patterson could very well be the next little guy from Texas to become a big-time player at Kansas.
— — Edited by Adam Mowder
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