Smith Working at Receiver

NORMAN, Okla. -- Reggie Smith is a defensive player who loves to have the ball in his hands. An oxymoron? For some yes, but not Smith.

A safety turned cornerback, Smith already had worked his way into something of an offensive role as a punt and kick returner. This week, he added receiver to his list of positions.

The move harkens back to the 2001 season, the last time a Sooner defender played on offense. Andre Woolfolk was a cornerback on defense and a receiver on offense, just like Smith. While playing both ways in 2000 and 2001 Woolfolk caught 56 passes for 836 yards and six touchdowns.

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Smith remembers Woolfolk.

"Yes, I remember him playing both ways," Smith said. "He was a great athlete."

Funny, that's a similar to the appraisal made of Smith by OU head coach Bob Stoops.

"Reggie is the kind of guy that you want on the field for his big play potential," Stoops said. "Now that he's at corner he has a little less responsibility in terms of reads and so forth so it frees him up to work on other things. He's a special athlete and it makes sense for us to have him out there as much as possible."

Smith played multiple positions in high school and was used as a receiver in both his junior and senior seasons at Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe. The OU sophomore, who started 10 games last season at strong safety, thought the opportunity to play receiver at OU might someday present itself, but not this early.

"I didn't think it would happen this year," he said. "(The coaches and I) had always joked about it and I always asked about it, then Coach (Kevin) Sumlin came down and asked me if I wanted to try it. He told me it was 'an audition.'"

Smith joined Sumlin at the grease board to learn a handful of plays. He's getting six to 10 reps per day in practice.

"It feels good to get a chance," Smith said. "I always like to have the ball in my hands. That's just the kind of player I am."

And that's not boastful talk from Smith. During his senior season of high school football, he rushed 122 times for 935 yards while catching 47 passes for another 607. He scored 19 touchdowns that season, nine as a rusher, eight as a receiver and two on interception returns.

"We're not going to overwhelm him right now," Stoops said. "It's just something we want to see. We've always considered players in a variety of roles. That helps us as a team and it helps them develop into well-rounded players."

Practice notes: Stoops surprised his team with a visit from the ice cream truck Thursday night. That practice concluded the two-a-day drills for the Sooners. OU will hold a morning practice on Friday before settling in for afternoon meetings.

The team will be back on the practice field Saturday morning for another workout, which will include a short scrimmage. All of the remaining practices and scrimmages are closed. Classes start on Monday at OU.

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