Every day after practice, Syracuse football head coach Paul Pasqualoni tallies how many catches, yards and ‘big plays’ sophomore Steve Gregory had at wide receiver.

He looks at films and tries to analyze Gregory’s performance in any way possible. But it’s not exactly easy evaluating how well Gregory is doing in his first spring at wide receiver since he last played the position in high school.

With only five practice sessions to go on, it’s also far too early to make a definitive statement on whether or not Gregory will remain at wide receiver next fall.

‘You can’t say much, but I’m pleased with what he’s done,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘He’s got a long way to go and a lot to learn, but he’s going to do the most.’

Gregory last played wide-out in high school, along with a slew of other offensive positions. He had more than 2,700 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards while piling up 51 touchdowns during high school. He was a two-time All-City selection by Newsday and the New York Daily News as a wide receiver.

Upon coming to Syracuse, the coaching staff made the decision out of necessity to switch Gregory to cornerback. At the time, Syracuse was looking to replace Will Allen, whom the New York Giants chose in the first round of the NFL Draft. Gregory made the switch and earned freshman All-America status from The Sporting News, defending 21 passes. It was fifth best in the country and first among freshmen.

Last fall, Gregory had two interceptions and 43 tackles.

But as often as Gregory impressed on defense, his high school accolades and highlight tapes still stuck with Pasqualoni and the rest of the coaching staff.

‘He was a great wide receiver in high school,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘I’ve always in the back of my mind over the past two or three years said to myself, ‘There’s going to come a day when we’re going to need to find out if Steven’s impact will be greater on offense than on defense.”

SU wide receivers coach Dennis Goldman fought to keep Gregory at wide receiver two years ago. But he understood what the team’s need was at the time and agreed to it.

Now, the situation has reversed and the biggest need is at wide receiver. The losses of Johnnie Morant, Jamal Riddle and Rashard Williams leave Syracuse desperate for playmakers.

The plan is to see how Gregory performs at wide receiver during spring practice. If he’s able to make an impact, then he’ll remain at wide receiver for the spring.

If he struggles, he’ll be switched back to corner.

R. Todd Littlejohn, Syracuse’s secondary coach, doesn’t look as the situation as if the defensive backs lost Gregory quite yet.

‘We’re trying to better our football team because of our wide receiver situation,’ Littlejohn said. ‘He’s one of the ones that provide an opportunity to play that position.’

Littlejohn also said that it gives him a chance to evaluate other players in the secondary who can replace Gregory. He told the rest of the secondary the best thing it can do is play well and put Gregory in a situation where it’s tough for him to come back.

‘That to me means we’ve gotten better,’ Littlejohn said. ‘Because if he goes through the entire spring at wide receiver and we don’t get better at the corner position, I don’t think we’ve improved at all.’

So far, Gregory’s understanding of the offense has held him back most. He knows the wide receiver position well, and his physical talents are obvious, but it’s a matter of grasping the system. In Syracuse’s first scrimmage Saturday, Gregory displayed his great speed but struggled with assignments, Pasqualoni said.

Goldman stressed to Gregory in the off-season to meet with the other wide receivers and learn the system on his own. The coaches are prevented from having too much contact with the players then, so it was up to Gregory to do a lot on his own, even if it just meant spending time with the quarterbacks and catching passes.

Gregory admitted, despite the difficulties, he’s enjoying playing on the other side of the ball.

‘It’s fun,’ Gregory said. ‘I mean, the guys I usually practice with and go to meetings with are lined up against me now, so it’s competitive and fun. We have fun with it.’

Pasqualoni noted, in the end, it’s all about finding the right position for Gregory.

‘A player belongs in a position where he’ll impact the team the most,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘That’s the position in his career he’ll go the furthest. Right now, we’re trying to find out: Does Steven Gregory have a chance to impact the team more as a wide receiver than a defensive back? I w on’t know that until spring is done.’

Published on April 6, 2004 at 12:00 pm