UNH's Jellison finds comfort zone
By Roger Brown
nhfootballreport.com
At this time a year ago, University of New Hampshire running back Sean Jellison was no more comfortable than a man wearing a wool suit on a humid day. This year he's more like someone dressed in shorts and a polo shirt.
Jellison's increased comfort level was obvious during spring practice, according to UNH coach Sean McDonnell. Jellison, a redshirt freshman, is currently the fourth running back on the team's depth chart, The three running backs ahead of him - senior Chris Ward, junior Robert Simpson and sophomore Chad Kackert - all have significant college experience.
"We have a lot of depth at running back, so right now I'm hoping to find my way onto the field any way possible, whether it be special teams or just getting some reps at running back every now and then," Jellison said. "It was good to redshirt and get that year to get adjusted. I think it was helpful.
"I think I was able to learn the system pretty quickly. The transition school-wise was definitely tough and the speed of the game in college is definitely a lot faster. You have to make a lot of reads on the run, learn to recognize defenses, pick up blitzes. All that stuff was new to me."
Jellison established state records for touchdowns in a season (41) and career touchdowns (103) during his career at Souhegan High School. He also holds the New Hampshire high school record for career rushing yardage (5,890).
He led Souhegan to a 41-0 triumph over Milford in the 2004 Division III championship game.
Jellison said he was talking to UNH, the University of Massachusetts and several Division II and Division III schools during his senior year at Souhegan, but when UMass stopped calling his college choice became an easy one.
"I feel very comfortable with the running backs," McDonnell said. "We have three that have been in games, that have played in big games, and I think our fourth one - Sean Jellison - could help this football team in someway, somehow. He's gonna be on the field someway, special teams ... things like that.
"Fortunately for us there's some depth at the position. Unfortunately for him, there are some good players ahead of him. He's gonna have to bide his time."
Jellison weighed 185 pounds when he first arrived in Durham. He's now up to a sturdy 205 pounds.
"Coming into college I never had a steady weightlifting program," Jellison explained. "I didn't lift that much. I came in at 185 and I was kind of scrawny, so the big thing was to work out in the summers. Get bigger. Get stronger."
Although he didn't play a down last season, Jellison did create some news when he suffered a knee injury in practice midway through the season. Jellison said he was originally told he had a torn ACL, but tests revealed nothing more than a sprain.
"I had a scare last year, but the knee is good," Jellison said. "It's just a matter of me transferring how well I did in the spring into the season. I'm more comfortable with the guys, the coaches and the system. I feel like I've got in all in control."
