Darrell Stuckey did make it onto the field last year. But not quite like this.
Sidelined for the first part of the 2006 season with a broken ankle suffered in August, Stuckey returned gingerly at the beginning of Big 12 play in October and played in Kansas University’s last seven football games.
He did an admirable job and all, but something hit him during workouts this spring.
For the first time in a while, he felt great again.
“That’s one of the things I noticed out there,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “Darrell is running as well as he ever has. No limp, no sign of any problem. That’s a welcome sight.”
Stuckey was one of a number of projected starters on defense to suffer an injury during the ’06 preseason. While some played through it, and others recovered with no side effects, Stuckey never got over his. He missed five games and wasn’t right for the other seven.
He is now, and is considered a frontrunner to start at free safety this fall. The good thing is, he can battle for the spot this spring without anything holding him back.
“Coming off any type of injury, it’s not going to be, ‘I’m going to blow this guy up.’ It’s going to be, ‘I’m going to make the sure tackle,'” Stuckey said. “This year I’m focused on running through people.”
Stuckey did collect 32 stops, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery in his part-time play, and earned the starting nod at free safety for the last four games of 2006. His nine tackles against Kansas State – one in the backfield – showed, in part, just how effective he can be.
But the truth is, Stuckey hasn’t played injury-free football at KU yet. A standout at Kansas City Washington High, Stuckey red-shirted in 2005 before hobbling through ’06.
He’s not taking any chances in 2007.
“This year is more about taking care of my body ahead of time and catching the nicks and bruises ahead of time before they become a problem,” Stuckey said. “It starts out as a small problem and grows to something bigger. I want to make sure I cancel them out ahead of time.”
Any help is welcomed. Though not one unit can be pinpointed as the biggest liability, the Jayhawks’ pass defense needs some shoring up in time for ’07.
That includes the secondary, something Stuckey isn’t shying away from. But he is liking where that unit is headed – especially with him in the middle of it, healthy as ever.
“I feel real good,” Stuckey said. “I feel very confident in our secondary and a lot of our players are playing real good.
“We’re relying on each other, leaning on each other. We’ve got great chemistry right now.”