As sure as Kansas University tight end Derek Fine's hands are, that's not what's defined him as a college football player.

Not yet anyway.

"He's a real good blocker," KU offensive coordinator Ed Warinner said. "Very good. I would say that was his strength."

"Was" is the key word. As Fine enters his senior season, both he and his coaches feel that his pass-catching abilities have caught up, making the 6-foot-3, 250-pounder one of the more complete tight ends in the Big 12 Conference.

Now, it's a matter of showing off his whole game, starting with the season opener Saturday against Central Michigan.

"He can run routes, he can catch well and he's a good blocker in the run game," Warinner said. "He'll have a presence for sure in the offense and play a lot of snaps."

Warinner gushes about the pass-catching capabilites of Fine, a native of Sallisaw, Okla. He likes Fine's reliability on underneath routes, yet feels he's fast enough to occasionally streak deep and catch a long ball. It makes him that much harder for defenses to figure out.

"He definitely fits into the passing-game plans," Warinner said. "We use him in a very versatile, mutliple role. He has good receiving skills, so he's a good all-purpose tight end."

Fine's receptions have gradually increased throughout his career, and last year was his biggest offensive contribution to date. He caught 28 passes for 355 yards and scored five touchdowns.

More importantly, he rarely dropped a catchable ball. There was a clank at Nebraska last year in the end zone, but it was shaken off in time for a fourth-quarter touchdown catch that put Kansas in front. Never one to take himself too seriously, Fine celebrated with an exaggerated miming of him squeezing the ball tight before giving it to the official.

Those two throws - despite the mixed results - were examples of the coaching staff's trust in Fine's hands. Now, with a starting quarterback in Todd Reesing who's more likely than scramble-happy backup Kerry Meier to rely on receivers, the question is whether Fine expects more spirals screaming his way this year.

"I think I'll probably get to run a few more routes, but that's all up to the coaches," Fine said. "That will go week-to-week with each scheme and each defense."

Warinner isn't riding that same fence, seeing Fine as important as many receivers in KU's tweaked spread offense.

Of course, Fine considers himself a part-time receiver at best, knowing that his run blocking is just as important. He's never let the glorious half of his job - the catches and the touchdowns - distract him from the down and dirty part.

"The older guys that were here before, like Lyonel Anderson whenever he was here, they helped me a lot with my route running," Fine said. "As for blocking, I came from a small school, so blocking wasn't really all that hard for me. I think I've really developed because I know I'm not a 280-pound guy blocking at tight end. One thing I've always tried to focus on was being a complete player."

As one of the senior citizens of the team, Fine has had time to work toward that wholeness.

He was originally in the 2002 recruiting class with past players like Kevin Kane, Mark Simmons, Nick Reid, Charles Gordon and Brandon Perkins. But appendicitis and a severe infection that ensued caused him to head home without starting school that fall. His eligibility clock didn't start ticking until 2003.

When he came back to Lawrence, he immediately red-shirted. His first action was in 2004, when he was 21 years old.

He's now a senior who turned 24 last week.

That maturity - a nice way of saying he's old - coupled with his experience, talent and easy-going personality made him a simple choice to be elected as a team captain for the second straight year.

Fine accepts the role, and thinks he could be even more proud of it if the Jayhawks play up to capabilities this fall.

"We've got the playmakers, we've got the ability and we've got the scheme," Fine said. "Now it's all about getting the right mindset to put it all together at the same time."