It’s hard not to notice Reavis senior Marc McClinton, especially because of the position he will play.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound McClinton would be a lineman on most football teams. The past two seasons, he played tight end and wide receiver for the Rams.
But this year, McClinton will be Reavis’ quarterback.
“Marc is a big kid,” Rams coach Tim Zasada said with a laugh. “When we have first-and-goal at the 3-yard line, Marc is like Tim Tebow. There aren’t many guys who are going to bring him down.”
It would be incorrect to interpret McClinton’s move to quarterback as a gimmick or an act of desperation. He can throw for distance and accuracy, and has experience at QB for the freshman team.
With the graduation of multitalented Isiah Alpuche, the Rams needed a quarterback. Enter McClinton, who is eager to take charge of the Rams’ unpredictable offense.
“It feels good to be back in charge,” McClinton said. “Going back to quarterback came pretty naturally. I just have to adapt to the speed of my wide receivers. That’s the biggest issue.
“But I’m 100 percent behind this. We’ll get the job done.”
Zasada has no doubt McClinton has the ability to lead Reavis on offense.
“He can throw the ball real well and he can run it,” Zasada said. “He’s looked really good at the 7-on-7 scrimmages. I wouldn’t put him at quarterback if I didn’t think he could get the job done.”
There will be times when Zasada will shift McClinton to tight end or receiver, which offers a major mismatch for opposing defenses. Not only is McClinton tall, but he’s fast for a kid his size.
Moving McClinton means inserting another player, such as lightning-quick receiver Brantrell Seymore, to quarterback. Or maybe even Bailey Boyd, who didn’t play last season after earning MVP honors on the sophomore team two years ago.
“Bailey is a real good kid,” Zasada said. “A great athlete. He’ll mostly play some safety. We’re going to move Brantrell around quite often. He’ll play receiver, running back, quarterback and defensive back. He’s by far the best player on the field.”
Seymore has no objection playing any position Zasada asks. But he’s excited about the prospect of catching passes thrown by McClinton.
“He’s got a lot more air under his throws because of his size,” Seymore said. “That gives me a chance to go up and get it. He gives us another option at quarterback. Defenses are not going to be ready to tackle Marc.”
Seymore flashed a wide smile when asked about his own abilities at quarterback.
“I’ll give defenses something different to think about,” Seymore said. “Our offense is going to be exciting.”
Last year, the Rams (9-2, 5-1) qualified for the Class 7A playoffs for the second straight season and earned a share of the South Suburban Red championship.
But a good chunk of that talent, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, graduated. There are some big holes to fill and not a lot of options to choose from.
Zasada is confident if the Rams stay healthy, they’ll be in the mix.
“We’re hurting depth-wise,” Zasada said. “We’ll have a bunch of guys playing both ways again. We just have to stay healthy and when you’re asking guys to play both ways, that gets to be difficult.
“But I like the guys we have.”
Twitter @disabato
