By ROBERT CESSNA
Ryan Tannehill hasn't been content to be Texas A&M's quarterback in waiting, an attitude that has made him one of the team's most valuable players.
The junior was only 4 for 8 for 50 yards through the air last year, with starter Jerrod Johnson staying injury-free. Only one No. 2 quarterback in the Big 12 got less work under center.
But Tannehill, who spent very little time practicing at wide receiver in fall camp last year, still had a team-leading 46 receptions for 609 yards with four touchdowns. It was the second straight season he led the Aggies in catches.
Things were different two years ago. After first-year head coach Mike Sherman settled on Stephen McGee as his No. 1 quarterback and Jerrod Johnson as the backup, Tannehill asked to play wide receiver.
Tannehill has managed to juggle the positions not only without a hitch, but at a level high enough to receive honorable mention all-league honors by the coaches.
"I guarantee you he could do more if we let him," Sherman said. "He could probably go play safety -- I've even thought about using him on the last play of the game. He's such a playmaker. If we're on defense, and there's a rebound pass thrown up as a last desperation play, he could be there."
Tannehill played defensive back at Big Spring High School and also punted, which could be an option if the Aggies fail to improve on last year's 35.5-yard net average, which was 104th in the county.
Tannehill's primary position, though, hasn't wavered. He's a quarterback. He got most of the snaps with the first unit in spring drills while Johnson, a senior, was recovering from minor shoulder surgery. Tannehill has spent more than 90 percent of fall camp at quarterback.
But occasionally he'll slide in at wide receiver, typically with big results. That was the case in the first scrimmage Sunday when a wide-open Tannehill had a 32-yard touchdown catch from Johnson.
"I have fresh legs, I guess, when I go in there compared to those other receivers who are in there for every play," Tannehill said.
It's more than just being fresh.
"I think he's better now [at receiver] than he was a year ago," Sherman said. "It amazes me how few reps he gets. And when he's in there he always seems to catch the ball. Part of that is sometimes Jerrod will force the ball to his buddy there, and that's not what we want to do. But he does find a way to get open. He understands concepts and routes, and understands defenses like nobody else. He runs great routes and he knows where the holes are. Some of the things he's doing, you really can't coach."
When it come to the classroom, few are better than Tannehill, a biology major with two minors. He plans to attend medical school and possibly become an orthopedic surgeon. Tannehill had to leave practices early on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the spring to attend class.
"He maybe an NFL doctor some day," Sherman laughed. "He'll have to make a choice. I think he has an opportunity [to make the NFL]. But being a doctor is not a bad career, either."
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