“I do miss it,” Trautman said this week. “I like the mental part of football so that was probably the worst part of leaving the position, even though I was all for the change.”
That change came quickly as Flyers coaches needed less than a week to figure out the freshman should be catching passes instead of throwing them.
“We thought Adam would make a good tight end when we looked at his high school films,” head coach Rick Chamberlin said. “He had a big body that is athletic and had soft hands, and a guy who could have mismatches with linebackers or safeties.”
Trautman leads the Flyers in receiving through the first three games, and he loves to use that 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame to his advantage.
“It helps a lot, anytime I can use my body to shield off defenders and make them go through me to get to the ball. It also gives the quarterback a bigger target to throw to and he doesn’t have to be as precise.”
Trautman came to Dayton with impressive credentials as a quarterback. He holds all of the passing records at Elk Rapids High School near Traverse City, Michigan.
No matter what position he plays, he is a student of the game much like he is in the classroom. A two-time Pioneer Football League all-academic performer, Trautman admits he still thinks like a quarterback on the field.
“You can see the coverage while you’re running your route,” Trautman said. “So while you’re going down the field you can tell what the defense is doing and that’s helped a lot.”
Trautman’s talents have added another wrinkle to the offense. With his history throwing the ball, you wonder if there might be a tight end option pass added to the playbook somewhere down the road.
“We always joke about it,” he said, “but we haven’t put anything like that in yet, but I’m still waiting for it … we’ll see.”
Injury update: Fifth-year senior Alex Jeske continues to take strides toward a return to the lineup. The Flyers quarterback, who broke a bone in his foot during a summer workout, has been in uniform this week and throwing against the first-team defense. Chamberlin doesn't expect Jeske to get any snaps at Morehead, but there is still the possibility the three-year starter could be ready for the showdown against San Diego on Sept. 30 at Welcome Stadium.
SATURDAY’S GAME
Dayton (1-2) at Morehead State (2-1), 1 p.m., 95.7 FM WHIO
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