Anytime Bill Snyder says he is curious about something, you have to listen intently.
This week his mind was peaked by the subject of Iron Man football.
Snyder began thinking about the topic when he was asked about defensive back David Garrett, who has proven capable of playing both cornerback and safety.
“There are a lot of players with the capability to do it (play multiple positions),” Snyder said. “It’s just whether or not you really pull the trigger to do it. David’s case may be somewhat different, because you’re not talking about playing offense and defense. But I’ve thought about playing a number of others on both sides of the ball. Thought about it quite seriously.”
Oh yeah? Like who?
“I’m not going to tell,” he replied with a smile.
Fair enough. Snyder can keep that secret to himself. It’s easy to take a guess at who some of those players are, anyway. Earlier this year he said Daniel Thomas would make a terrific safety, so he’s obviously thought about him. And fullback Braden Wilson said he would play both ways in a heartbeat. So I guess he’s on the list too.
“I would love to do that,” Wilson said. “I would play absolutely any position he asked me to.”
Growing up in Smith Center, Wilson played both running back and defensive end. He’s not sure he could cut it as a defensive lineman this week, but with some practice he said he’d like to give it a try.
Snyder is unlikely to give him the chance. He wants his players fresh at their desired positions. But here is a look at some players that could pull it off.
Tysyn Hartman — The Wildcats’ junior safety was a high school quarterback, and could easily utilize his speed and knowledge of the game at wide receiver or QB.
Jarell Childs — Before making an impact last week as a linebacker, he was once a running back.
Daniel Thomas — Other than lineman, is there a position he couldn’t play? Snyder has said he thinks Thomas could be a good quarterback, a great safety and is a stellar running.
Josh Cherry — He is technically a two-way player already. The kicker boots field goals and makes tackles.
Braden Wilson — A hard worker that is easy to coach. He could be useful in several areas.
Chris Harper — The athletic sophomore can play just about any position on offense. He’s probably pretty good on defense, too.
Emmanuel Lamur — The hard-hitter has great hands and is one of the best athletes on the roster. He could pull off wide receiver.