Part of al.kum's position by position breakdown. Today, it's the flanker position. AWK, grab a bottle of KY Warming Gel, a couple of paper towels and lock your office door.
The two-deep
Trovon Reed (6-0, 190), starter; Ricardo Louis (6-2, 217), backup
Gus Malzahn's take
"I felt like both had solid springs. That's a position where we ask them to do a little more than a regular receiver. That position needs to have running back skills. Both of those guys carried the football some during the spring."
The battle
Flanker is one of the most important positions on the field because of the ball-in-hand responsibilities as a pass-catcher and ball-carrier.
Trovon Reed and Ricardo Louis gave us a taste of their responsibilities in the A-Day game, touching the ball more often than any other position group: Louis caught eight passes for 66 yards and Reed had three grabs for 24 yards, and the duo combined to carry the ball five times for 11 yards.
Louis is viewed as a versatile threat. He was the talk of the spring last year because of his ability to stretch the field, but he caught only three passes for 36 yards in 2012 as a true freshman.
Reed exits the spring as the starter at flanker -- he caught nine passes for 122 yards and a touchdown in 2012 -- but is still working on other areas.
"My goal is to become a leader on and off the field," Reed said. "I did my time here. I’ve been here, I saw how to win. I saw guys who went out there and executed – Terrell Zachary, Darvin Adams, I played with those guys. I know how to win. Now I just have to brainwash the young receivers that we have now, to get them all on the page we were on when I was the youngest guy in that group.â€
The contenders
Three incoming freshmen match the size requirements, though, like Reed, standing 6-2 is not necessarily required to excel at flanker. Keep an eye on Earnest Robinson, Tony Stevens and Dominic Walker.
The future
Reed is the starter and Louis is the backup, and they'll split time when needed. In the end, Louis may prove to be the best vertical threat, though that's not necessarily a big part of what the Tigers are looking for in the hurry-up, no-huddle offense at flanker.
Reed brings another dynamic to the offense.
"I think I can bring that with my speed, and the way I run my routes," he said. "I think I can stretch the field and make a play."
He said it
"You definitely look at a guy like Ricardo Louis, who has loads of talent. He just needs the reps."
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