D'Shaun Crockett began the 2000 football season as Utah's starting tailback.
But with injuries weakening the offensive line and more blocking needed, the coaches decided that someone bigger than 5-foot-7 was needed at the position, and Dameon Hunter and Adam Tate took over.
With four games left in last season, Crockett was switched to cornerback, a position he played in high school.
This spring, Crockett is battling for a starting cornerback spot — just as the new two-back offense that would better suit his size and skills is implemented by a new offensive staff.
That tempts him not.
"It doesn't make me want to go back," says Crockett, a junior-to-be from San Jose, Calif., who redshirted a year and played a lot of special teams as a freshman. "I want to stay here unless something totally bad happens over there and they need me. But I'm here with the defense. The coach has been good to me, and I'm here to stay on this side."
Crockett played running back and cornerback throughout high school (Oak Grove), but when he began looking at colleges, he was sure he wanted to be a running back. "I just always thought of myself as an offensive player," he says.
But now as a college cornerback, "I love it. Just being able to get back on the other side of the ball where I haven't played since high school, things are coming back to me like second nature," says Crockett, who had two interceptions in his hands in Saturday morning's semi-scrimmage but dropped them. Other than being mad at himself for that, "Things are going good."
So far, the offensive coaches have a number of strong running backs from which to choose and, according to defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham, they haven't asked about getting Crockett back yet.
Coach Ron McBride is pretty certain that Crockett will remain a corner, maybe a starting corner at that.
Crockett doesn't think about going back. "I'm happy for the guys that they're comfortable with right now (at halfback). Frankly, I'm happy playing defense. I'll play wherever I have to to make this team champions and going to a bowl game. It doesn't matter where I play as long as we're winning."
Small stature is not an issue to him or Whittingham. "There are guys in the NFL who are the same stature," Whittingham says. "He's got catlike quickness, good balance and blazing speed. He takes a step forward every day. He's a great athlete with great work habits and a burning desire to be good."
"I'm not really worried about height and speed once we get the pads on," says Crockett. "I just count on my heart more than anything to pull me through."
NOTES: Freshman fullback Rob Sirstens took a ball 70 yards for touchdown for the biggest play of the Saturday scrimmage. "I was real impressed with him. I thought he did a good job," McBride said of the Skyline High product . . . "The quarterbacks had good command in the huddle, and once we get all the receivers in there, the guys will be all right." Cliff Russell and Josh Lyman, returning starters at receiver, are both being held out of practices with hamstring pulls. Defensive lineman Garrett Smith has the same injury and missed the workout.
E-mail: lham@desnews.com