Sophomore Tristan Dorty of Wake Forest expected a shorter, more direct path to playing time when he was switched from linebacker to defensive end two springs ago. That's one reason he didn't mind the move.
"I wanted to play early, like every college player wants to play," Dorty said. "I saw it as an opportunity to get on the field earlier."
What Dorty didn't foresee was that two games, one injury and one battlefield promotion into his sophomore season, he would be not just a starter but also the acknowledged leader of the Deacons' defensive ends.
The designation came somewhat by default, given that the broken fibula that sidelined second-year starter Kyle Wilber in the second game against Stanford left Dorty as the only end on the roster who had ever started a college game. And it bears noting that Dorty had started only two.
Regardless of how he attained the role, Dorty said he's bent on making the most of it in the six or so weeks Wilber is expected to be sidelined.
"It's been a humbling feeling, knowing that so many people are dependant upon you," Dorty said. "I feel the pressure that I have to make more plays, in a way. But I relish that pressure. I'm glad for it.
"I'm not happy that Wilber is out. I'd rather have him on the other side of me. But if it happens, I have to accept the role either way."
Dorty played a hybrid position at West Rowan High School, part rush end and part linebacker. He played standing up, which is why he gravitated toward linebacker over defensive end when he arrived at Wake Forest before the 2007 season.
But after Dorty's redshirt season, the linebacker position looked pretty stacked for the next few years, whereas defensive end was dominated by seniors Matt Robinson, Anthony Davis and Antonio Wilson.
"I knew once they left it was just me, Wilber, Will (Wright) and the new D-ends coming into the rotation," Dorty said.
He also knew he had to grow up fast. Just three starts into his career, he's getting more grizzled by the day.
"It's really good for us to see Tristan play with the maturity he has shown," Coach Jim Grobe said. "He's really a dependable guy. I mean he's an every-snap dependable guy. Some of the young guys who are getting their first real playing experience, some of those guys are so up and down it drives you crazy."
Grobe said he loves Dorty's intensity, which he compares to that of Gelo Orange, another converted linebacker now playing defensive end.
"He's a live wire now," Grobe said. "What's kind of been fun is watching he and Gelo together. Gelo is one of those guys that sits on high rev all the time."
Dorty is a different kind of defensive end than Wilber. First off, he's 6-2, 250 pounds whereas Wilber is 6-5, 230. Dorty is more powerful but lacks the explosiveness and moves of Wilber.
He's also the only Wake Forest end named after a former star of daytime drama. Dorty said that his grandmother saw the name on a soap opera, presumably that of Australian Tristan Rogers who played the role of Robert Scorpio for many seasons on General Hospital.
Grobe predicted that the more Dorty plays, the more plays he will make.
"I think we're going to find out that Tristan's got a chance to have the right combination, because he's a little bigger (than Wilber)," Grobe said. "He's got the potential to take that offensive lineman and take him right back to the quarterback.
"But he's got enough foot speed and enough athleticism that if he'll work on his pass-rush moves a little bit more -- getting that shoulder dipped, getting his pads turned and giving an offensive tackle less to hit -- then he'll start putting the kind of heat on you that Kyle does.
"They're two different guys, but Tristan's got the explosiveness you need to be a pass rusher. He can be as good as he wants to be."
dcollins@wsjournal.com
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