Kelvin Hayden knows what it’s like to win, and he knows how to catch the football.
His priority is winning football games. If that entails spending his senior season at Illinois as a cornerback instead of as one of the Big Ten’s best receivers, so be it.
“This is an offensive world, but the defense wins championships and that’s what I’m about,” said Hayden, making his mission statement for the 2004 season.
In the “offensive world,” Hayden made things happen.
Before coming to Illinois last year and catching 52 passes for 592 yards and three touchdowns, the former high school star at Hubbard spent two years at Joliet Junior College.
After losing its 2001 opener, Joliet won 21 straight games and two junior college national championships. Hayden’s contributions those two seasons consisted of 114 receptions for 1,839 yards and 17 touchdowns. The second year he was the most valuable player in the national championship game and he became the first wide receiver tabbed as the junior college offensive player of the year.
What’s a wide receiver with a resume like that doing on defense?
When the Illini demolished Florida A&M 52-13 in Saturday’s opener, Hayden was making big plays on defense for a team whose defensive deficiencies were an enormous factor in their 1-11 2003 season.
He intercepted two passes, equaling the team total for 2003. The first interception led to a field goal; the second he ran back 23 yards for the Illini’s last touchdown. He also broke up another pass and forced a fumble that led to the game’s first touchdown.
It’s the kind of performance coach Ron Turner had in mind when he suggested the change in positions.
“It was in late January or early February,” Turner said. “I said: `Kelvin, I’m not making the move. I just want you to go over there in spring ball and see how comfortable you feel, and later on we’ll decide.’
“Two things had to happen: One, he had to show he was going to be able to start there and help us. And, two, the other receivers we had were going to have to step up.”
At the outset, Hayden was apprehensive. He remembered: “My first thought was: `Is the switch too late?’
“But I said to coach Turner: `Whatever helps the team.'”
It wasn’t long before his doubts went away and he started to show why he had been second in the state with 10 interceptions as a freshman at Hubbard, and why Virginia, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan State had recruited him to play defensive back.
“At first, the game seemed real fast,” Hayden said. “The biggest difference was working backward instead of moving forward. As practices progressed, the game got slower. It was sort of like making the adjustments from high school to juco and from juco to here last year.”
Hayden’s roommate, top Illini running back E.B. Halsey, said Hayden did a lot of football homework during the summer.
“He had tremendous focus,” Halsey said. “He took it as a challenge instead of sulking about the position change so late in his career. He studied a lot of film and observed the techniques and things like that.”
The night before the opener Hayden had a hard time sleeping. He worried that instead of making a statement he would flub his figurative lines.
“I woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning,” he said. “I put my headphones on and tried to get back to sleep. It didn’t work. I was just lying there. About 7 o’clock I went back to sleep and it was noon when I woke up. I couldn’t eat.”
On the football field, Hayden showed no symptoms of a restless night.
“He was very productive,” Turner said. “I liked the way he came up and hit. He showed focus, good quickness and good aggressiveness.”
Hayden was pleased too.
“I’m glad to have a game under my belt,” he said. “My role right now is for me to be at cornerback. Turnovers are a big emphasis this year. Coach tells me: `When the ball is in the air think of yourself as a receiver.’
“I know during the season passes will be caught on me–maybe a deep ball and maybe a touchdown. I have to learn to forget about that and just think about the next play.”
