SEATTLE — Johnie Kirton came to the University of Washington four years ago as one of the state’s top running backs. Now, in his final year as a Husky, the Jackson High School graduate hopes to spend the season tackling them.
After redshirting his freshman year, Kirton was moved from tailback to tight end, but that wasn’t his last position switch. After three years of playing tight end, Kirton found himself in a new spot again when spring football started last April. The running back turned tight end was now a tight end turned defensive tackle.
Things certainly haven’t played out the way Kirton, the Gatorade state player of the year as a senior at Jackson, figured they would when he came to Washington on the heels of 2,675-yard rushing season.
He never took the field as a tailback at Washington — other than in a few short-yardage situations — and never developed into the dominant tight end he hoped to be. His production dropped each season at tight end, from 14 catches and 152 yards in 2005, to 12 catches for 93 yards in 2006, to two catches for 21 yards last season. Now, he’s trying to learn a new position in his final season.
Still, Kirton moves ahead with a positive outlook. No, he didn’t become the offensive star coaches and fans hoped he might after he averaged 8.9 yards per carry as a high school senior, but he refuses to call his time at Washington a disappointment.
“There’s always negatives and positives,” he says. “I feel like I’ve done a lot of things as a Husky. I’ve ran the ball for the UW, I’ve caught touchdowns, I’ve caught passes, I’ve made big blocks. There are a lot of things that I would never take back, but there are also some things I wish I would have done and maybe opportunities I would have liked to have, but you can’t dwell on those things. You just move on, and that’s where I’m at now.”
Rather than dwell on what he hasn’t done, Kirton looks forward to accomplishing new goals in 2008.
“Now I have a bunch more things I can check off after this year,” he said. “I can get a sack, I can get a tackle for a loss, I can try to score on defense. It’ll be fun to have a clean slate, but I definitely feel like I’ve accomplished a lot here.”
How much more Kirton can accomplish in his final year depends on how quickly he adapts to a new position.
A tentative depth chart should come out tomorrow, and Kirton doesn’t know if he’ll be on the two-deeps or what his role might be, but an inexperienced defensive line should lead to opportunity for plenty of players.
Daniel Te’o-Nesheim is a lock to start at one defensive end spot, but almost every other role on the defensive line is up for grabs. Defensive line coach Randy Hart and new defensive coordinator Ed Donatell have both said they plan to rotate through a lot of defensive linemen.
“Everybody out there is in the mix,” said Hart, who has been experimenting with many linemen, Kirton included, as interior linemen and as ends.
Asked if Kirton has a chance to break into the line rotation, Hart said, “Oh yeah. Oh God yes. Everybody does … I have nothing negative to say on him. … He’s doing a good job. He’s not showing an ounce of not want to. He wants to, he’s going. I’m happy with him.”
Kirton, despite the challenges ahead of him, doesn’t lack for confidence. Or a sense of humor at least.
Walking into lunch earlier this month, he loudly announced himself as Warren Sapp at the table where players check in before eating. And while Kirton doesn’t have any of the impressive credentials held by the former NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle, he is confident this new position can lead to good things.
“I definitely think I’m going to be an impact player,” said Kirton, who weighs 290 pounds, about 10 more than he did last season.
Kirton moved to defensive tackle in part because he thinks he still has a pro future — “Obviously it’s my goal to get there,” he said — and his combination of size and athleticism could at least give him an opportunity at that level. But he said the move was also done to help a team that has never had a winning season in his time at Washington.
Like so many of Washington’s seniors, Kirton is tired of losing, and if he can help an inexperienced line play better, and in turn help the Huskies win, he’s fine going wherever coaches ask.
“You know when you sign a commitment to any school, you know you put yourself in a situation to do whatever you can for that team,” said Kirton, who added that he had the final say in the switch, and that he wasn’t forced into it. “I gave my agreement in 2004 that I would do anything for this team, and that’s what I’ve done.”
Playing his third position in five years, Kirton hopes his last move was his best.
“I feel like I still have a lot left to show people,” he said.
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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