History could be on Nunez's side as he transitions to wide receiver

Lorenzo Nunez’s knee injury in March could not have come at a worse time for the former four-star prospect from Kennesaw, Ga.

The setback, which forced him to miss the final 11 spring practices and never allowed him to showcase his talents to the new coaches in full pads, essentially eliminated him from the heated competition to become South Carolina’s starting quarterback.

As Nunez watched helplessly from the sidelines, Perry Orth (later injured himself) and freshman Brandon McIlwain continued to battle, and when spring was over Will Muschamp declared the latter two had “separated themselves” from the pack.

When Connor Mitch decided to graduate from USC and transfer to James Madison, a nagging question remained: Where to play Nunez?

Offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and Muschamp brainstormed and came up with a possible solution – move Nunez to wide receiver and retain a package for him at quarterback to take advantage of his elite dual threat skills.

Now came the tricky part of convincing Nunez, who signed with the Gamecocks to play quarterback, the move was in his best interests for himself and the team.

Nunez met with offensive coordinator Kurt Roper and wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon around the start of summer workouts in early June. Nunez agreed to make the move after consulting with his family. Muschamp officially acknowledged Nunez had been working at wide receiver during a session with local reporters prior to making the rounds at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

“During the summer, we talked about me playing both positions, quarterback and wide receiver, after my knee got better following my injury,” Nunez said recently. “I told them I wouldn’t mind it when my knee got better. I was open-minded. I knew Brandon and Perry were ahead of me on the depth chart since they got more practice reps after I got hurt.

“I talked with my parents about it. My Dad told me it was Ok with him and the final decision was mine. It was frustrating because I was injured in the fourth practice of the spring and I was trying to show the new coaches what I could do ability-wise. But I had to move on and try to get my knee better, which I did.”

With the first seven practices in the books, Nunez has demonstrated an acumen for catching passes even though he has not played wide receiver since seeing action there as a freshman in high school. But, just like Jamari Smith, he still has a lot to learn about the highly visible position.

Nonetheless, history could be on Nunez’s side.

The late Kenny McKinley did not play a single snap at wide receiver in high school before signing with the Gamecocks in 2005. Yet when he arrived on campus and began practicing, the Gamecocks coaches realized McKinley was a naturally gifted wide receiver and very intelligent football player.

Four years later, McKinley left USC as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (207) and receiving yards (2,781). Eventually, Alshon Jeffery (2009-11) eclipsed the yardage record in just three years, but McKinley is still the career leader in catches and remains the only receiver in Gamecocks history with 200 or more receptions.

Considering their high school experiences were nearly identical (both focused on playing QB), Nunez’s shift to wide receiver invites an intriguing question – could he duplicate McKinley’s accomplishments as far as production on the football field is concerned?

“I knew most of the wide receiver plays and the routes since I was playing quarterback,” Nunez said. “Now I just need to know how to run the routes and when to break and do the things I need to do to take it up a notch.”

Told the transition would be difficult, Nunez has actually found the opposite to be true.

“Most people told me it was going to be pretty hard, but I don’t think it has been as hard as everybody thinks,” Nunez said. “Day by day, I’m getting better and progressing with Coach McClendon and the quarterbacks we have now. My speed is getting back to where I used to be. I’ll get there.”

Nunez still takes a few reps at quarterback in order to stay sharp when his work at wide receiver is finished. Prior to practice, he spends all of his meeting time with the receivers.

After leaving the Missouri loss last season with a sprained right shoulder, Nunez saw limited action the remainder of the season as Perry Orth proved capable as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback.

Nunez did not dress for the LSU, Vanderbilt or Citadel games and had just one carry, a 7-yard TD run, at Texas A&M and two carries at Tennessee. He finished the campaign as USC’s leading rusher against Clemson with 75 yards on 10 carries, including a 47-yard burst.

“I’ve gone from being the starting quarterback (started vs. UCF and at Missouri in 2015) to getting hurt to coming back with new coaches and then getting hurt again,” Nunez said. “Now I’m transitioning to a new position. But anything else they need I’ll do because I’m a team player. Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do. I work hard at what they need me to do, whether that’s quarterback, wide receiver, running back or defense.”

When he has been healthy with the ball in his hands, Nunez feel he has shown he can be productive and make plays.

“Once I get the ball in my hands, I can make something happen,” Nunez said. “I’m healed in both my shoulder and my knee, so I’m ready for the next chapter.”