Now he’ll be facing a powerful Marshall team — ranked No. 25 in Sports Illustrated’s poll — led by quarterback Rakeem Cato, who beat the RedHawks, 52-14, last season, has thrown for 76 touchdowns against 20 interceptions the past two years and returns his favorite target in Tommy Shuler, who had 106 catches for 1,165 yards.
And yet, even though he will be facing all that in his college football debut, Quinten Rollins said he won’t be overcome by the moment.
“I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous — it’s my first college game — but no, the moment won’t be too big for me,” he said as he stood on the edge of the field at Yager Stadium and dripped sweat following a practice in the muggy heat.
“It’s more of a been there, done that type deal. Sure, it’s a different sport, a different atmosphere. There’ll be a lot more fans here than at Millett Hall, but it definitely won’t be too big of a stage for me.”
Rollins joined the football team this season — with hopes of going on to an NFL career — after a standout Miami basketball career, where he started four years at point guard and ranks among the school’s all-time top 10 in steals (second with 214), assists (fourth with 391), games started (seventh with 106) and minutes (ninth with 3,448.)
Last season, Rollins was the co-captain of the basketball team, led the Mid-American Conference and was 14th in the nation in steals and was named Miami’s defensive player of the year for the third time.
Although Marshall is expected to have one of the more potent offenses in Division I football this season, it won’t eclipse the towering challenges Rollins faced in his first college basketball games.
When he opened the 2010 basketball season as a starter, he was the first true freshman to do so at Miami in eight years. And in his first games, he found himself playing — on the road — against No. 1 Duke, soon-to-be No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Kansas, soon-to-be No. 7 San Diego State and Xavier and Cincinnati.
He especially remembers the Kansas game at Allen Fieldhouse in front of 16,300 howling Jayhawk fans. He played 26 minutes and had five points, three assists and a steal against two turnovers in an 83-56 Miami loss:
“Kansas wasn’t playing around. Right out the gate they came after us. They were so big. They took up most of the court and there really was nowhere to drive, no place to go. The guards pressured you and the back line was 7-foot-, 6-11 and 6-10.”
He smiled at the memory: “Right then I said to myself, ‘I gotta find a mid-range game … and I gotta get the ball to Julian Mavunga (Miami’s inside presence)’.”
Saturday, he’ll have no Mavunga to bail him out.
“I feel like you’re more in control in basketball,” he said. “As the point guard, you have the ball in your hands. But defense in football is tough. You’ve got so many things to deal with. The offensive guy knows what he’s doing, the quarterback knows too and you’re just out there on an island. And even if you play it perfectly, they have a counter to whatever you do.”
The fact that Rollins is starting may seem incredible, but it’s pretty simple to Miami defensive backs coach John Hauser:
“He’s our best guy. He’s a hell of an athlete. He’s a 6-foot, 200-pound corner and we’re trying to find those guys every day during the recruiting process. Guys who are that big — and can run that fast — are hard to find.”
Rollins played football at Wilmington High School, where he lettered all four years and was the team captain for three. He won first-team All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference honors three years in a row and was the league’s co-Player of the Year in 2009. In his final high school game, a playoff loss to Cincinnati Turpin, he rushed 24 times for 263 yards.
Coming out of high school he drew more interest as a basketball player. He chose Miami over Wright State, and after four solid years seemed destined to play professionally in Europe.
“I really never had the right options to play overseas,” he said.
“I had drawn a little interest, but I wanted to go in a good direction for me. I’m a father — my daughter Quinlyn is about to be 4 — and I didn’t want to go across the water and leave my family here.
“I really feel I can make a career out of football and with this new coaching staff, I feel I can get coached up a year and try to make the league.”
Hauser said Rollins is the first guy he’s coached who came to football from four years of basketball: “It’s pretty rare, though I know Antonio Gates did it.”
After playing basketball, not football, at Kent State, Gates has been an All-Pro tight end in eight of his 13 seasons with the San Diego Chargers.
There are a few other examples: Greg Paulus played basketball four years at Duke and then took that fifth and final year of NCAA eligibility and played quarterback at Syracuse.
Justin Gage played football and basketball at Missouri before spending eight years in the NFL as a receiver. Nate Robinson was a cornerback at the University of Washington and is now a 10-year NBA veteran.
Pat Riley — who starred in basketball at the University of Kentucky and played with the Los Angeles Lakers — was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. And Otto Graham, the Hall of Fame quarterback who long ago led the Cleveland Browns to three NFL crowns, played college basketball at Northwestern.
When Charlie Coles retired as the Miami basketball coach in the spring of 2012, Rollins said he thought of jumping to the football program but again had no real connections.
This time he got some help from Sean Mock, Miami’s director of basketball operations, who approached new football coach Chuck Martin.
“We’re not very deep anywhere,” Hauser said. “We need as many good athletes as we can get at Miami now.”
Had the RedHawks not made a coaching switch this season, Rollins said he would not have pursued the matter at Miami this year:
“There’s a new energy here now. Talking to the others guys, they feel like this is a real program now. A first-class operation. And I’m just trying to take advantage of it.”
In the process he said he’s noticed some differences and similarities between the two sports.
“Basketball players are a little more laid back and football guys are a little more in-your-face obnoxious,” he said with a laugh. “They’re more macho.
“The coaches though, I’d say Coach Martin is the same type of guy as Coach Coles. They’ll say whatever they want to you, no matter who’s around. They’re blunt, straightforward guys and you definitely need something like that. That’s how you get better. You don’t need a guy patting you on the butt every time you do something right.
“I just hope I can help the team. I want the program to get going in the right direction again. History has shown this is a good football program.
“And in the process I want to improve my own skills. Right now I know people have questions: ‘Can he go to the next level or not?’ By the end of the year I want to make sure there are no ifs, ands or buts about it.
“I want people to say, ‘Man, that guy’s a real football player.’ ”
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