By John Shinn
The Norman Transcript
August 19, 2006 01:11 am
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Oklahoma’s Reggie Smith was a defensive standout last season and he’s already solidified himself as the Sooners’ kick returner this preseason.
There’s only one area left for him to conquer.
This week the Sooner coaching staff is giving the cornerback a chance to go for football’s hat trick, working the sophomore from Edmond Santa Fe at wide receiver.
“We talked about it on Monday and (OU coach Bob Stoops) said for me to audition and just see how it felt at wide receiver,” Smith said. “So he said that he was going to give me an audition to see how I do. So I tried to take it for what it was and went out and did my best.”
Smith played offense, defense and special teams in high school. As a senior, he scored 17 offensive touchdowns his senior season, rushing for nine and catching eight.
He always hoped he’d get a few shots to catch the ball in college, but didn’t think the coaching staff would seriously consider it.
“We always joked about it,” Smith said . “I was serious about it, but they always joked about it.”
But it’s no longer a laughing matter. The Sooners are serious about using him in spots on the offensive side.
OU receivers coach Kevin Sumlin said the goal is to use Smith for a boost and primarily in third-down situations. If the experiment is successful, the sophomore could play as many as 15 downs a game at wide receiver.
“It’s not an every-down deal,” Sumlin said.
This isn’t the first time OU has used a player both ways under Stoops.
Andre Woolfolk flip-flopped between defensive back and wide receiver from 2000-2002. He eventually settled in at cornerback and was the Tennessee Titan’s first-round pick in the 2003 NFL draft.
Stoops believes Smith possesses similar, if not more, talent.
“He is real natural at it,” Stoops said. “People want to compare him to Andre Woolfolk, but to me he is much more natural at it than Andre was. He is a legitimate receiver with the way he runs and catches and what he can do with it afterwards.
“I think the important thing will be finding the balance of what works for him. He is playing exceptionally well at corner, but he can help us there on offense as well. We just have to find the balance for him.”
However, there’s other personnel matters involved. Stoops said the play of Marcus Walker and Lendy Holmes in the secondary has proven there is enough depth to give Smith some plays off.
Also, Paul Thompson moving from wide receiver to quarterback has left the receiving corps a little thin.
Adding Smith as an occasional weapon could punch things up. Currently, he’s taking a few snaps at receiver each practice. Smith admits he has a lot of learning ahead of him.
“I think it is going well. I caught a few balls today so I am starting to get these routes down, because at first it was always where do I line up and am I supposed to do this or this in this situation,” he said. “Coach Sumlin has been helping me along at receiver and he hasn’t been getting to mad at me. He is trying to make me a receiver in the little playbook that I do have.”
John Shinn366-3536jshinn@normantranscript.com
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