Even while he patrolled the field as a Pac-12 linebacker, Dakota Conwell's heart was with the offense.
He was a three-star outside linebacker prospect out of Upper St. Clair High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, signed with the University of Arizona and played 10 games as a freshman. He also was a dual-threat high school quarterback and couldn't shake the desire to have an offense run through him.
"I always liked to be on offense and score touchdowns," Conwell said. "Being a quarterback and getting to lead an offense, and my skill set ... even when I was playing linebacker out there at Arizona, I wanted the ball in my hands to make plays."
At Division II West Liberty University, Conwell found a home under center, a position he still approaches with a linebacker's mentality as the Hilltoppers prepare to host the University of Charleston at 1 p.m. Saturday.
WLU coach Roger Waialae said, when Conwell came back east to find a new school, the Hilltoppers had a pretty strong connection. Conwell's dad, Dane, was a former West Virginia football player and good friend with former WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong. Waialae also is good friends with Pastilong and it was Pastilong who gave the coach Conwell's name.
Once he took the field for the Hilltoppers in 2014, his impact was immediate. He led WLU with 1,965 yards, 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 156-of-304 passing. He also finished second on the team with 386 rushing yards and led West Liberty with three rushing touchdowns.
An early-season high ankle sprain limited Conwell, but he came back with a vengeance in West Liberty's win last week over West Virginia Wesleyan. He accounted for 368 yards of total offense, rushing for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries and throwing for 191 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-30 passing. On the season, he's completed 64 of 117 passes for 721 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions, while rushing for 216 yards and three scores on 32 carries.
Waialae said Conwell still approaches the job with a linebacker's spirit, both in the intensity of his preparation and willingness to get physical. But he's also evolved into a true quarterback, not just a linebacker who can throw.
"His maturation into a pro-style passing offense, he's been our most improved player since last spring," Waialae said. "But he's worked at it. He's going to work and work and work until he gets it."
Conwell said he can feel the difference, too, not just in being able to use the entire playbook, but in the way it feels dropping back to throw.
"I think the steps I've taken from last year to this year, there's a tremendous difference," Conwell said. "I'd watch games from last year and games from this year, and I could just see where I actually looked like a quarterback now with my footwork and my eyes, reading a defense. I really understand what I'm looking for."
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As good as Notre Dame (Ohio) quarterback Malik Grove already is at the physical aspects of college football, he's focused on honing the intangible qualities that come with role.
That's why you'll find him as a resident assistant in the Notre Dame dorms, and why he's now the vice president of responsibility in Notre Dame's student government. In trying to become a better leader, he's immersed himself in leadership positions throughout the college.
Grove will lead the Falcons to Institute on Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. game at West Virginia State. All of the other hats Grove wears around Notre Dame's campus have helped him become the more vocal leader he feels is necessary to spearhead the Falcons' offensive attack.
"Before, I was just a guy who led by example," Grove said. "I wanted to talk more and communicate better with my teammates to become a better leader. Before, I wasn't as comfortable being that guy, being the person in that role. Now, with these other parts of leadership, it requires you to talk. And that's made it easier for me to talk to my teammates."
The on-field part has come pretty easily for the sophomore and first-year starter. He currently sits second in the Mountain East in rushing with 482 yards and six touchdowns. He actually held the MEC single-game rushing record for a week, gaining 251 yards against the University of Charleston, before Glenville State's Rahmann Lee trumped that with 412 yards versus West Virginia Wesleyan. He's also third in the MEC in passing yards with 1,148, throwing for eight touchdowns and three interceptions on 105-of-195 passing.
"When we recruited him, we knew what we hopefully were getting into, that he had that potential," NDC coach Billy Rychel said. "Our offense has always been set up to have that running aspect from a quarterback. He's done a good job. He's growing up fast and he's a mature kid who puts a lot of pressure on himself to do well."