ELON — Dale Riley displayed advanced levels of aptitude and production last season while starting at outside linebacker for all 12 of Elon University’s football games.

So when the team’s coaches approached him with intentions of a position switch to safety, the unexpected impact in many ways felt similar to a hit from the blind side.

“Hearing it was like, ‘Umm … ,’ ” he said, trailing off for emphasis. “It was tough.”

The move turned Elon’s recently completed spring practice session into a crash course for Riley, who contributed immediately last year as a redshirt freshman and ranked second on the Phoenix in tackles.

...

Coming off a 12-tackle performance in Elon’s narrow national playoff game loss at Richmond, Riley appeared to be developing into a cornerstone piece among the team’s front seven defenders.

Instead he spent Elon’s 15 spring practices grinding through a new learning curve in the defensive backfield, an area where the Phoenix needs to find proven every-down players for the fall and beyond.

Early on during Riley’s shift away from the line of scrimmage, it seemed as if an internal reset button had been pushed.

“It was like I was a freshman all over again,” he said. “The first day of spring felt like the first day all over again, that first time I got here. It was tough to deal with.”

Elon coach Pete Lembo said repositioning Riley also proved somewhat strange for his staff.

“Every other move we have ever made has been closer to the ball and not further from it,” Lembo said. “And I’m going back, not just four years here (at Elon). I’m talking about (five years in charge) at Lehigh, too.

“It was definitely more awkward to move Dale back. But I think the position moves we’ve made have been very well thought out, very calculated and we’ve really tried to share with the players who have been involved that this is in your best interest and the team’s.”

So given the graduation of four standout defensive backs who were stabilizing forces — and considering Elon’s confidence in Riley’s intelligence and athleticism — the Phoenix pulled the trigger on the change.

The switch to safety required more ground to patrol physically and new material to digest mentally.

Never one to shrink from a challenge — he once served as Student Government Association president at Victory Christian High School in Charlotte — Riley said it was a situation that became a test of patience at times.

“I think that we probably had our expectations too high for how quickly he would adjust,” Lembo said. “And the first couple weeks, as you can imagine, he made some mistakes. Then it was about the third week of spring where I think things started to really click for him.”

That momentum spilled into Elon’s spring game. Riley intercepted two passes and helped fuel the Maroon team’s 14-0 shutout of the White team.

He finished his first pick-off with a weaving 27-yard return that put the Maroon in field-goal range with just seconds left in the first half.

Riley’s second interception, which set the table for the game’s final score, came off starting quarterback Scott Riddle deep in Riddle’s own territory. Four plays and 16 yards later, the Maroon led by two touchdowns.

“Playing like that in the spring game was a huge thing for me,” Riley said. “I’m just trying to listen to the coaches and get better every day. I’m feeling better about it, a lot better about it, the more I go back there. It’s becoming easier for me to cope with. The spring game showed it can be a great move for me.”

Elon football player tackles challenge of unique switch
By Adam Smith / The Burlington Times-News (NC)
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/elon-33659-player-bodycopy.html