LINCOLN, Neb.—Most players who change positions in the spring attract little fanfare.
Latravis Washington isn’t one of those guys.
Washington finished last season as a linebacker, agreed to move to quarterback two days before spring practice opened and will go into Nebraska’s Red-White Game on Saturday as a legitimate contender for the top backup job.
“I feel good about it,” Washington said. “I’m a competitor. Any quarterback will want to compete for the starting job or even the backup job. There’s great pride in being backup at the University of Nebraska. Whoever has known a linebacker to be a backup quarterback?”
Coach Bo Pelini said Zac Lee has established himself as the front-runner in the quarterback derby. It’s wide open after that.
A knee injury Monday ended Kody Spano’s spring, leaving Washington and true freshman Cody Green to take snaps along with Lee in the spring game. All the quarterbacks will wear green jerseys, making them off-limits for contact.
“All those young guys have had good springs,” Pelini said. “I feel good about the quarterback situation. I think it’s in good hands. Zac’s had a tremendous spring, and the younger guys have all learned.”
No one has learned more than Washington, who hadn’t played quarterback since he was a senior at Bayshore High in Bradenton, Fla., in 2006.
Offensive coordinator Shawn Watson asked Washington to change positions last month to beef up the quarterback numbers in the wake of Patrick Witt’s decision to leave the program.
Washington thought about it for a week, then accepted the challenge after talking with family and friends over spring break.
Washington operated out of the triple-option offense at Bayshore, one that ran 90 percent of the time. Though he has a well-earned reputation for his strong arm, he said his biggest adjustment has been learning Watson’s passing game.
Washington has exceeded expectations of his coaches and teammates after a rough first couple of practices.
“The first day all the balls were all over the place,” receiver Menelik Holt said. “It looked like a circus out here. But he’s really coming along.
“If he were to get into that playbook and learn to run the offense consistently and get us the ball, he can make a push to play. He’s one of those guys who is bigger and more intimidating than the other quarterbacks we’ve got back there.”
Lee will quarterback the Red team and Washington the White on Saturday.
Holt, I-back Quentin Castille, tight end Mike McNeill and offensive linemen Jacob Hickman and Mike Smith will play for the Reds along with defensive end Pierre Allen and safety Matt O’Hanlon.
The White team will feature several returning defensive starters, including tackle Ndamukong Suh, defensive end Barry Turner, safeties Larry Asante, Rickey Thenarse and Eric Hagg and cornerback Anthony West. Washington’s offense will feature Keith Williams and Marcel Jones on the line and tight end Dreu Young.
“You’ll get a lot of looks at different guys,” Pelini said. “It’s going to be fairly basic on both sides of the football. We’re not going to do a lot other than let them go out and play football and run and tackle and see who steps up.”
There will be some noticeable absences.
I-back Roy Helu Jr. is out with a sore hamstring, though Pelini said Helu probably would play if this were a regular game.
Linebacker Blake Lawrence will sit out because of a concussion, and receiver Niles Paul was suspended after his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving and driving on a suspended license last weekend.
Washington said he hopes he makes a good impression on the 80,000 fans who are expected.
What would he like them to say about him as they leave the stadium?
“Man, that guy can throw. He’s really developed. He’s a humble guy. He knows his stuff. He’s a talented guy.”
