Benefits of recruiting athletes.

[Skjellyfetti]

Payton finalist DeAndre Presley moved from QB to cornerback last Wednesday. He's now played QB, WR, DB, KR, PR in his Appalachian career.

He led the team with 6 solo tackles and had a forced fumble in his first game at CB after moving to his new position 3 days previously.

[panther-state]

As in your current Payton Award finalist QB...no longer plays QB for you or he plays both ways?

[Skjellyfetti]

As in your current Payton Award finalist QB...no longer plays QB for you or he plays both ways?

Yeah, no longer the QB. Offense sputtered at the beginning of the year and he lost his job to Jamal Jackson who started against the Citadel and Samford and has done well.

He plays cornerback now and may get some time at receiver too, but he hasn't played there yet this year.

[Screamin_Eagle174]

EWU has two former QBs that we've transitioned into safeties. Jeff Minnerly earned the starting spot opposite Matt Johnson last year and played every game I believe, including the championship where he made some key breakups.

[Grizalltheway]

Gerald Kemp. 'Nuff said.

[kalm]

Taiwan Jones played his first season at corner. Then they started letting him return kicks...

Our TE's are so versital that we sometimes start them at center.

[Baldy]

Payton finalist DeAndre Presley moved from QB to cornerback last Wednesday. He's now played QB, WR, DB, KR, PR in his Appalachian career.

He led the team with 6 solo tackles and had a forced fumble in his first game at CB after moving to his new position 3 days previously.

I guess its too bad GSU exposed DP's glaring weakness as a QB last season.

[DJH]

Sounds like your QB flamed out and got benched, so they put him somewhere else. This happens everywhere...

[Skjellyfetti]

Sounds like your QB flamed out and got benched, so they put him somewhere else. This happens everywhere...

Not aware of other cases of a player playing like this after switching a new position 3 days before. But, you're right. It's probably common and happens all the time.

[blueballs]

Deandre, meet Mr. Wilcox...

Seriously though, GSU has long had a tradition of recruiting HS QB's because they are often the smartest and most talented players oon a HS team, sometimes signing over half a dozen in a class. The best ones stay at QB and the other ones change positions.

This might benefit both App and Pressley long term.

[SeattleGriz]

Sounds like your QB flamed out and got benched, so they put him somewhere else. This happens everywhere...

Not aware of other cases of a player playing like this after switching a new position 3 days before. But, you're right. It's probably common and happens all the time.

Not to take away from his achievement, but I bet he played DB in high school, and who better to switch than a QB? He should know what a receiver is doing pretty quickly each play. With all that being said, I do think it speaks very well of DP's overall athletic ability. The dude is a stud.

[Skjellyfetti]

I bet he played DB in high school

he didn't



an article from Winston Salem Journal on his transition:

DeAndre Presley had never played defensive back in his life.

But Presley, who had been replaced by Jamal Jackson after 18 straight starts as Appalachian State's quarterback, found himself as a starting cornerback on Saturday.

He was an instant and surprising hit, registering six tackles and forcing a fumble in the Mountaineers' 35-17 victory against Samford.

And he dished out some hits.

"I had one or two pretty big hits, at least to me," Presley said. "I got (Samford quarterback Dustin) Taliaferro near the sideline one time."

Before Saturday, Presley didn't like big hits.

"The thing is, I've been hit so much myself as a quarterback," he said. "I'm thinking, 'You know what, I want to do the hitting.' It's payback."

Presley, a senior and one of the fastest players on ASU's team, was adjusting to not being the starting quarterback — which couldn't be easy after such a stellar 2010 season, when he was named the Southern Conference's offensive player of the year.

He began working at cornerback last Wednesday, along with receiver Jamill Lott, to help shore up the Mountaineers' thin secondary.

"I told them I'd love to do it," Presley said.

He had just two full practices, on Wednesday and Thursday, and a walk-through on Friday.

"I asked a lot of questions, I'll tell you that," Presley said.

Presley started in a five-defensive-back package, played a lot and had the fourth-most number of tackles among ASU defenders.

He said that he was relaxed, had fun and enjoyed the fact all six of his tackles were unassisted.

"I got picked on all week that I wasn't going to hit anybody," Presley said. "My first tackle was a forced fumble. It actually felt good to be on the other side of the ball."

Coach Jerry Moore of the Mountaineers was just as pleased. "He's a good athlete; he can go do that. It worked out well. Now he has another week to prepare."

The Mountaineers worked redshirt freshman Kalik Barnes at No. 2 quarterback behind sophomore Jackson after Presley's conversion to cornerback, and running back Travaris Cadet took practice snaps out of a Wildcat formation.

Moore said that Presley will spend 90 percent of his time working in the secondary but added: "He could come back (to quarterback) in a ballgame. He's been doing it long enough he could do it."

Presley said that being quarterback provides helpful insight as a defensive back. He said that he is picking things up fairly quickly but still has a lot to learn and is relying on athletic ability.

"Samford's offense was similar to ours, so I was able to pick up on certain things," he said.

Presley said that he was surprised that he was not picked on by Samford more.

"Honestly, I was," Presley said. "When you get a new corner, somebody who hasn't played there before, you want to pick on that guy. I was expecting them to. I was ready for it."

Coach Pat Sullivan of Samford, who didn't have the benefit of foreknowledge that Presley would be at corner, said: "We were going to go out and do our game plan, and we know what kind of outstanding athlete DeAndre Presley is. We weren't going to go and pick on one guy."

http://www2.journalnow.com/sports/2011/ ... r-1534820/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JMUpurplehazed]

JMU recruits athletes so they all can play qb in spring practice every year

[Skjellyfetti]

Cornerback De’Andre Presley, a standout at Tampa Middleton High and Appalachain State, made arguably the most impressive play of the night when he returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. Presley fielded the punt, bounced off a defender and ran backward before reversing field and following his blockers.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/22/2 ... -down.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[youtube][/youtube]

[AZGrizFan]

Cornerback De’Andre Presley, a standout at Tampa Middleton High and Appalachain State, made arguably the most impressive play of the night when he returned a punt 65 yards for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the first quarter. Presley fielded the punt, bounced off a defender and ran backward before reversing field and following his blockers.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/01/22/2 ... -down.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[youtube][/youtube]

A couple blind-side blocks absolutely decleated a couple of those South players.

[BlackFalkin]

Payton finalist DeAndre Presley moved from QB to cornerback last Wednesday. He's now played QB, WR, DB, KR, PR in his Appalachian career.

Fxcked up