Recordpub.com - KSU football players will embrace change in 2009

Kent State will experiment with several players in brand new positions when the spring practice season begins Friday morning at Dix Stadium.

The list of players in new roles includes sophomore-to-be Matthew Hurdle, who is the latest in a long line of KSU quarterback recruits to make the move to wide receiver.

Golden Flashes head coach Doug Martin found some success with a similar move in 2003 when Antwan Smith made the switch and became a useful weapon with 24 catches and five touchdowns in two seasons. Hurdle is two inches bigger than Smith at 6-foot-3 and has similar athleticism. Smith wanted to return to playing quarterback and ended up transferring to Hampton in 2005. Hopefully Hurdle embraces the move.

While Hurdle switches from quarterback to receiver, sophomore Sal Battles is making the opposite move back to quarterback.

Battles was recruited to KSU as an “athlete” after earning First Team All-Ohio and Division II Offensive Player of the Year honors as a quarterback at East High School in Youngstown. He played wide receiver and H-back as a freshman with the Flashes, and while he didn’t catch a pass, he did throw the ball twice from his receiver position.

“I think we always saw Sal as a quarterback,” said Martin. “We kind of wanted him there all along. He’ll give us the kind of athleticism we had with Julian (Edelman) the last three years.”

Battles is listed No. 3 at quarterback on the Flashes’ depth chart. Redshirt sophomore Giorgio Morgan and fifth-year senior Anthony Magazu are expected to battle for the starting job, but Battles could provide an occasional change of pace in 2009.

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OTHER SWITCHES — As reported last week, former Crestwood High School star running back Alan Vanderink will move back to running back this spring after spending his first two seasons in Kent as a wide receiver.

Chris Gilbert is another pass-catcher on the move. After a promising freshman season at receiver, Gilbert will try his hand at cornerback. The Flashes like the size (6-foot) he could add at the position, and according to Martin, “if the change doesn’t work out, we can always move him back to wide receiver (in training camp).”

Redshirt freshman Chris Favazzo will move from offensive line to defensive line. Favazzo was an All-District and All-League lineman at St. Charles Prep, where he recorded 11 sacks as a senior. He also played tight end in high school.

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BACK TO SCHOOL — It’s good to see former Kent State stars Joshua Cribbs and Usama Young continue to work towards their college degrees even as their NFL careers are taking off.

Young, who now plays cornerback for the New Orleans Saints has been taking classes to finish his degree in education. He will graduate in May. Cribbs, who has become a star as a kick returner for the Cleveland Browns, is working on his degree in communications and expects to graduate in August.

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EDELMAN AT WILDCAT? — KSU quarterback Julian Edelman’s pro stock may be on the rise because of the growing popularity of the Wildcat offense in the NFL.

Edelman would give teams a true quarterback with running-back talent to run the set, instead of lining up with an actual running back taking the snap out of the shotgun.

The Miami Dolphins, who brought the Wildcat to the NFL last season with running back Ronnie Brown, have already shown an interest in Edelman.

The Dallas Cowboys, who are believed to be interested in incorporating a version of the Wildcat into their offense, are also rumored to be looking at the Flashes’ star. Edelman was a guest on Dallas ESPN radio station 103.3 FM just last week.

With more and more teams in the traditionally copy-cat league thinking of adding the Wildcat, Edelman could become a bigger commodity than he would have been in previous drafts.

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ON THE RADAR — Cornerback Rico Murray and linebacker Derek Burrell may have caught the eyes of some NFL scouts during the recent Pro Day at Kent State. The NFL Network contacted KSU last week to request head shots and information on both players in preparation for next month’s NFL Draft.

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LOOKING FOR SIZE — Owens Community College basketball center Justin Manns is expected to visit the Kent State campus this week.

The Flashes’ men’s basketball team has made no secret of its desire to get bigger and more athletic on their front line, and the 6-foot-11 Manns might fit the bill.

The Winston-Salemm, N.C., native averaged 8.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game for Owens last season. He already has a a scholarship offer from Central Michigan.

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David Carducci can be reached at dcarducci@recordpub.com