Kevin Sherrington

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Coming out of Big Spring, Ryan Tannehill had played exactly one half of one game at receiver, but Mike Sherman made a request last year of his freshman quarterback just the same.

"He asked me to run a couple of routes," Tannehill said, "and a few days later, I was in the starting rotation."

He thought a moment.

"Kind of crazy."

Genius, is what it was.

All Tannehill did was lead Texas A&M with 55 receptions. Thirty went for first downs. He was as dependable, his hands as good, his instincts as sure, as any Aggie receiver since Robert Ferguson. And he was glad to do it, if the alternative was standing on the sideline behind Stephen McGee. In a season where little went right for the Aggies, Tannehill might have been Sherman's greatest success story.

Now comes another season with prospects just as dire. Facing the possibilities of finishing last in the Big 12 South, a coach needs all the help he can get, wherever he can get it.

Unfortunately, the Aggies' best receiver last year won't be back. Not at receiver, anyway.

Sherman announced Monday that Tannehill will be a quarterback. Only he'll be on the sideline again, this time behind Jerrod Johnson.

The funny part about all this is that there's actually some logic to it.

When Tannehill agreed to switch to receiver, he made one request: When spring came, he'd compete for the starting quarterback job again. Absolutely, Sherman told him. But Tannehill separated his right shoulder against Texas, and there went the competition.

This summer, Sherman gave Tannehill another opportunity, but he warned that it would require a "knockout punch" to take the job away from Johnson.

Sherman said it was a close call and that Tannehill is going to be "a heck of a quarterback here," just not right now.

And at the moment, it's a pretty competitive market at quarterback in the Big 12 South.

If Taylor Potts fills in for Graham Harrell as expected, no other team had a bigger question at quarterback going into this week than A&M. Johnson played well the first half of last season but faded late, his passing more erratic by the week. Still, he has more experience than Tannehill and as much or more athletic ability.

Even at that, Tannehill isn't far behind, and he's a lot closer than any other quarterback on the A&M roster.

Sherman considered the variables. On the one hand, he could leave Tannehill at receiver, providing him the perfect complement to Jeff Fuller, a star in the making. But if he did that, he'd expose his No. 2 quarterback to abuse that backups don't normally sustain while standing on the sideline with a clipboard.

"Ryan got banged up quite a bit last year," Sherman said. "If he'd had to play quarterback, he wouldn't have been able to do it, so I have concerns about that.

"You're gonna need two quarterbacks to get through the season."

He learned that lesson last year, when McGee got hurt early and Johnson took over.

With Tannehill all but out at receiver, Sherman will count on a pair of incoming freshmen, Allen's Uzoma Nwachukwu and Spring's Kenric McNeal, as well as the return of Howard Morrow, Terrence McCoy and Cody Beyer.

Total number of collegiate catches by the above quintet: 49.

Or six fewer than Tannehill had all by himself last season.

He won't get that many chances again, probably, but he's ready.

"If they ask me to play receiver," the erstwhile quarterback said, "I'd be happy to do that again."

If Sherman wanted to see how another Big 12 coach handled a similar situation, he could reference Kansas' Mark Mangino. The Jayhawks' best receiver is Kerry Meier, a 6-3, 220-pounder who last season caught 97 passes for 1,045 yards, fourth-most in KU history. Meier was honorable mention All-Big 12 and is a Biletnikoff candidate.

He's also the No. 2 quarterback behind Todd Reesing. Meier didn't take a snap at quarterback last season, but he's the backup.

Still, Sherman is taking no chances. He's an NFL guy, and in the NFL, backup quarterbacks don't play other positions. Chances are Sherman's right about needing two quarterbacks. He might need three.

When you're struggling to get your program up and running, these are the kinds of dilemmas that life poses. The better you get, the simpler it is. One in an occasional series by Kevin Sherrington on Big 12 South football