<p>The play was a 5-yard out route, one in which Marian football player Drew Byerly quickly found himself staring at open field.</p><p>Extending plays with his feet is nothing new for Byerly, formerly a record-obliterating quarterback at Franklin. However, doing so the way he is for the Knights — as the team’s oft-used J-Back — most assuredly is.</p><p>Lined up in the team’s offensive backfield two to three yards behind the guard and tackle, Byerly, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound freshman, is being counted on to catch spirals rather than launch them.</p><p>And so it went in the first quarter of Marian’s second game, a recent 37-14 victory over visiting Taylor. Byerly stretched his first-ever college reception into a 25-yard pickup. He finished the game with three catches for 38 yards.</p><p>“It was cool. Definitely different,” Byerly said. “To get your first catch in a college football game was exciting and an awesome experience.”</p><p>The Knights (2-1) were second in the NAIA rankings before getting knocked off at No. 13 Concordia (Michigan), 16-14, on Saturday.</p><p>Recruited as a quarterback, Byerly threw for 5,470 yards and ran for 2,763 in four seasons as the Grizzly Cubs’ starter under center and also scored 1,123 career points in basketball. He possessed the size, strength and agility necessary to play any number of positions for the Knights.</p><p>During three weeks of fall practices, Marian’s roster included seven quarterbacks. Junior Frankie Young, previously a backup signal-caller, had impressed coaches enough during three weeks of fall practices to land the starting job.</p><p>“At that time, honestly, I was focused on being the best quarterback I could be,” Byerly said of the unusual circumstance of preparing for a spring football season due to concerns brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “In the fall, I didn’t know where I was on the depth chart, just that I wasn’t the starter.</p><p>“I came back from winter break, and the coaches asked me if I was okay with being a tight end. I was completely fine with it. It was definitely new because I had been playing quarterback since the fifth grade.”</p><p>Byerly tested his new skill set in the season-opening 69-12 blowout of Trinity International on Feb. 13. He didn’t contribute statistically, but said the experience of being on the field for as many plays as he was, particularly in the second half, proved invaluable.</p><p>Listed as a tight end, Byerly, who now wears No. 49, has also had to learn how to be a blocker. He feels he’s making strides in that area, particularly when it comes to his footwork.</p><p>Former Marian offensive lineman David Kostbade is in his first season as the team’s tight ends coach. He said Byerly’s athletic versatility makes him a natural catching the football.</p><p>“We knew Drew was a special athlete with the ball in his hands, period,” Kostbade said. “Drew was 100% receptive to it, which speaks to his character. He takes coaching very well, and now he’s out there making plays for us.”</p>
