Out of the limelight, Darlington fighting to return to relevance
Zack Darlington is used to coming to the huddle and having all eyes immediately turn his way. He's accustomed to having the attention of fans and dreamed about having his name announced when the offense took the field at Memorial Stadium.
The sophomore isn't vain or conceited, but he admits those things enter any player's mind. It is that recognition that he gave up when he moved to wide receiver earlier this spring, and he's at peace with it.
“No one is going to tell you that they don’t like that," Darlington said with a smile. "When someone makes you feel good about yourself, you’re going to enjoy it. It felt great and it was fun and it’s a great experience. I don’t regret anything.
"Do I miss it? Of course you’re going to miss it. But that was an old part of my life.”
The son of a high school coach, Darlington has played under center his entire career, and he's done it well. He showed enough promise at Apopka HS (Fla.) to field offers from Ohio State, Virginia Tech and West Virginia before ultimately choosing Nebraska.
But Darlington found himself buried on the quarterback depth chart and, after dedicating himself to the weight room and reshaping his body, decided to try a new position. Instead of throwing passes, he'll now be catching them.
The switch hasn't been perfectly fluid. Darlington self reports that he struggled to catch the ball during some of NU's early practices and has a penchant for overthinking before each play.
Some of that comes from his realization that the receiver position requires a lot more technique and precision than he originally thought. Darlington admits he saw upper-echelon athletes like Brandon Reilly and Alonzo Moore and assumed they got by on their physical ability.
A few weeks at the position quickly changed that line of thinking.
“The technique is something you just don’t think about, with the different releases and attacking inside or with a wide tap," he said. "You kind of think it’s more about God-given ability with receivers. It’s something I never really broke down and looked at.”
Darlington said he feels he's improved greatly in the weeks since the switch, and position coach Keith Williams agrees. While there's no concrete plan as of now for how Darlington will be used, Williams said he is "a lot better than he was on day one."
“He’s quick and athletic and smart," Williams said. "He knows the offense and he’s strong and he’s a good kid, so he’s able to learn quick. He’s improving fast because of that.”
Of course, there is no guarantee that Darlington's new position will grant him more time than his old one. Wide receiver is arguably the deepest unit on the team, and stealing reps away from the likes of Reilly, Moore, Jordan Westerkamp, De'Mornay Pierson-El and Stanley Morgan, not to mention Derrion Grim and Lavan Alston, will not be easy.
Darlington readily accepts that the role will be tough and even if he does crack the rotation and become a contributor, he'll never fully have the spotlight like he did under center. That's a change for Darlington, but he's more than OK with it.
"(At quarterback) you’re going to be the person the eyes are always on," Darlington said. "There’s a reason when you come in the game, they announce who the quarterback is. They don’t stop the game to announce there has been a substitution at safety. Being a quarterback is a big deal.
"Being a quarterback was always my dream, but dreams come and go. You have to learn to grab something that you really love, and I really love football.”