Kevin Morgans will be arunning back for Liberty after playing the offensive line last season.William Montgomery/Times Herald-Record

By WILLIAM MONTGOMERY

Published: 4:00 PM - 08/30/14 Last updated: 12:39 AM - 08/31/14

LIBERTY Aside from the occasional fumble recovery, tipped pass or interception, linemen rarely get to touch the football or taste the glory that comes with being the one to run the ball into the end zone.

Kevin Morgans is going to find out, firsthand, what the fuss is all about. Morgans, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound junior three-year varsity player at Liberty, is returning to his natural position at running back.

As a freshman, Morgans was called up to the varsity team when Liberty needed some help on the offensive and defensive lines. By the end of the 2012 season, Morgans was a two-way starter.

Last season, Morgans started both ways, playing offensive tackle and middle linebacker. With the backfield looking thin and Liberty gaining some younger reinforcements on the line, Morgans is making a rare transition from tackle to running back.

It was kind of evident that it was going to happen eventually but this year it just panned out, Morgans said.

Morgans played running back through his youth career, up until the varsity team needed him to play a different position. A wrestler in the winter months - he was the Section 9 Division II champion at 182 pounds as a sophomore - Morgans has the athleticism and the aggressiveness, as well as the experience, to make the switch.

He has the tools to play running back, said Liberty head coach John Wilhelm. He is actually quite fast. He's a wrestler, so he's pretty cut up. He doesn't have a lot of extra weight. He dropped some weight from wrestling. He's a strong athletic kid. When he was younger we put him on the line because he was an aggressive kid. We were looking for someone who was going to be aggressive, so that's why we put him there. Morgans led Liberty with 112 tackles in 2013. He also got a taste of the backfield, gaining 119 yards on 23 rushing attempts as a sophomore.

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Liberty lineman moved to running back