Utah Utes football: Former QB Chad Manis is a natural at linebacker

SALT LAKE CITY — It worked so well with Paul Kruger, the Utah football team is trying the same thing again. That is, taking a tall, athletic quarterback and turning him into a defensive player.

The latest to make the change is Chad Manis, a 6-foot-5, 238-pounder who was recruited to Utah as a quarterback but was switched to the defensive side of the ball, where he has become the starting stud linebacker.

Not bad for a guy who never played linebacker in his life before last year — if you don't count Pop Warner football when he was 7 years old.

If the Utes lined up today, Manis would be the starter at one of the outside linebacking positions. He made the switch from quarterback after the 2008 season and played a handful of games last year at linebacker before earning the starting spot this year.

"Linebacker is about the complete opposite of quarterback," says Manis with a laugh. "But I was up for it. I knew Kruger did it. They do a great job here of bringing in guys who are athletes and can play any position."

Manis came to Utah in 2007 after playing quarterback for Cerritos Junior College, where he was rated among the top 100 JC recruits by Rivals.com. He redshirted a year and played in three games of mop-up duty in 2008 behind Brian Johnson.

However, after the Sugar Bowl, Ute coach Kyle Whittingham and defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake approached him and asked if he'd like to switch to defense.

"Coach Whitt and coach Sitake came to me and I was glad, really happy about the switch," Manis said. "Anything I could do to get on the field and help contribute to the team, I was up for."

Manis had come to Utah at 198 pounds, but worked in the weight room to get up to his current weight, just under 240.

"We had a surplus of quarterbacks at the time and we knew Chad had a good blend of strength, size and athletic ability," said Whittingham. "He wanted to get on the field, so we moved him over to the defensive side. He's made a complete transition to the defensive side of the ball and he's playing good football for us."

Besides being the defensive coordinator, Sitake is also the linebackers coach, where he works closely with Manis and the Utes' other linebackers. He's been thrilled with the transformation Manis has made.

"He's doing great," said Sitake. "He's got a linebacker's mentality. He was really good as a quarterback, but I saw him as a guy that could help our defense. We made the switch and it's been the best thing for us. I'm excited to have a 6-5, 235-pounder playing linebacker."