Getting the right Kniffin

Needing a playmaker, Jeff Thomas looked at game footage one day and spotted a very good high school prospect out of Oregon.

The teenager went by the last name of Kniffin.

Only during this strange, twisting sequence back in 2008, Thomas – then an assistant at Redlands University in California – sought out Kyle Kniffin, a linebacker, from a football-playing set of twins.

Today, a Kniffin plays for Thomas – now the University of Puget Sound’s second-year coach.

And yes, he is not only a high-impact performer, but he also comes into 2011 as an NCAA Division III preseason All-American.

He is, however, the other Kniffin twin – Adam.

“I give Coach Thomas a hard time about it, because he did not recruit me that much (to Redlands),” the Loggers junior said.

“I got overlooked by a lot of people. But in high school, I was kind of a lazy guy, and did not lift (weights) much and do much stuff, so I don’t blame anybody for that.”

It is about the present now – and Thomas has not slipped up on his second chance. After all, the coach was the one who moved Kniffin from safety to wide receiver before last season – and watched him rewrite most of the school’s receiving records.

Kniffin finished with 92 receptions, which shattered the previous single-season mark held by Jeff Halstead, now the UPS offensive coordinator (66 catches in 1999). And that total was second-best in the country for Division III last season – one short of Pomona Pitzer’s Robert Maki (93).

He also had 17 touchdown catches, which is a Loggers best. It was the third-highest mark in Division III last season as well.

And Kniffin’s 22 receptions against Whitworth in the season finale set a single-game record at UPS.

“Kniff is a freak,” said George Kaai, the new Loggers quarterback this season. “Just his ability to win that 50-50 ball … he just goes up and gets it every time.”

Back in 2008 at Sprague High School in Salem, Kniffin was a quarterback. After he received little recruiting interest, he was intent on giving up football for good – and enrolled at the University of Oregon.

“I just kind of did my thing,” Kniffin said.

But he missed being on the field. So he began researching programs to transfer to – and UPS under former coach Phil Willenbrock was one of the first schools to show significant interest.

After Willenbrock was let go after the 2009 season, Thomas was hired – and immediately remembered this Kniffin. That spring, the new coach asked each player to choose a position to be evaluated at. Kniffin picked receiver.

He is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds – and a nightmare of a one-on-one matchup for defensive backs. But understanding the nuances of route-running and shielding defenders with his body took a good month into last season for him to fully grasp.

“I made a lot of mistakes … but the older guys helped me out,” Kniffin said. “For example, say I was running a fade (pattern). I was always getting pushed by the defensive back. They would tell me, ‘Lean into him’ and get my spacing that way – just the little things.”

By mid-October, Kniffin was virtually unstoppable – and became quarterback Duncan White’s top target. He had 10 catches against Willamette, then 19 against Lewis & Clark, which at the time was the single-game record.

He then had 14 receptions against Pacific, followed up by his best showing – 22 against Whitworth.

Thomas said he tries to utilize “two Adam Kniffins” in the game plan – one as the goal-line receiver who leaps over everybody to bring down passes; and two as the receiver on short routes who is too big for a defender to reach around.

“He shields his body now better than anybody I have ever coached,” Thomas said.

“This season, I see his impact on games being greater. I don’t know if the numbers will be the same quantity, but he should make more big-time plays to win games.”

Todd Milles: 253-597-8442
todd.milles@thenewstribune.com

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE OUTLOOK

In order of NWC football preseason coaches poll

1. Linfield (9-2 in 2010)

Gone for two-time defending champs are the offensive (QB Boehme) and defensive MVP (DL Hedin), but they return 10 defensive starters – including entire all-NWC secondary.

2. Willamette (7-3)

Combine the fact the Bearcats return all-conference running backs Terrell Malley and Jamiere Abney, and bring in a large, talented recruiting class – look out, Linfield?

3. Pacific Lutheran (8-1)

Of the 42 offensive touchdowns the runner-up Lutes scored last season, 36 were by graduated players. That is a lot of scoring PLU has to replace this season.

4. Whitworth (5-5)

Yes, tailback Adam Anderson – and his career totals of 3,338 yards and 47 touchdowns – is a worry no more. Does Anthany Lessiar, the heir apparent, strike the same fear?

5. Lewis & Clark (4-5)

Roster turnover will always be a problem, but with quarterback Keith Welch and tailback Joevonte Mayes still around, no wonder the Pioneers are labeled as the sleeper team of 2011.

6. Puget Sound (2-7)

Coach Jeff Thomas knows all the offense in the world won’t right the Loggers’ ship if his defense gives up 45 points and nearly 500 yards a game, as it did in 2010.

7. Pacific (0-9)

The bad news? More than half the player roster turned over in the offseason. The good news? The majority of the coaching staff returns for a second season.

Todd Milles, staff writer

PUGET SOUND LOGGERS

Coach: Jeff Thomas, second year (2-7 record)

Coordinators: Jeff Halstead (offense, spread) and Brant McAdams (defense, 3-5-3)

2010 season: 2-7 overall, 1-5 in NWC (sixth place)

Returning starters: 6 offense, 6 defense, 0 kickers

Outlook: On the surface, it appeared Thomas’ debut season was largely unsuccessful. Even he might admit as much. But the Redlands University product’s high-octane passing attack – and the offense’s ability to score points – not only created a buzz of excitement, but also a sense of optimism that a turnaround is in the works. The Loggers’ last winning season was 2006. “The emphasis in the first year was about establishing everything,” Thomas said. “This year is about refining.” Somebody needs to get the ball to a talented group of receivers, led by NWC-leading Adam Kniffin. Strong-armed and big-framed George Kai (6-5, 255), a senior from Hawaii and the backup quarterback last year, gets first crack. Thomas has said he will play as many as 10 receivers in a game. Much of the Loggers’ recruiting attention focused on getting aggressive and athletic defensive backs. Zach Thomas, a freshman from Beaverton, Ore., has the makings of a shutdown cornerback. Behind him are safeties Nasser Kyobe and Damarkus Milner, out of Lincoln High, who are big, rangy athletes. Middle linebacker Tyler Vlasak, a senior from Sumner and the team’s defensive leader, has recovered from a left-knee injury that ended his 2010 season.

SCHEDULE

Sept. 10: vs. Occidental, 1 p.m.
Sept. 17: vs. Sewanee, 1 p.m.
Sept. 24: at Whittier, 1 p.m.
Oct. 1: at Pacific Lutheran, 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 8: at Linfield, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 15: vs. Willamette, 1 p.m.
Oct. 22: at Lewis & Clark, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29: at Pacific, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 12: vs. Whitworth, 1 p.m.

Todd Milles, staff writer