Broggin’s versatility comes in handy for Flames

Danny Broggin was a state-championship winning quarterback at William Campbell High School in 2005, but once he took the final snap in the Generals’ 18-0 win over J.I. Burton at James Madison’s Bridgeforth Stadium, he knew his time as a signal caller was done.

No one was recruiting the 6-foot Broggin as a quarterback, and the school who eventually offered him a scholarship — Liberty — had no plans of using him behind center.

When he arrived in the fall of 2006, though, Broggin had no idea what his role would be. It’s a theme that’s carried over throughout his Flames career.

“I don’t know what he’s going to play next year,” Liberty coach Danny Rocco said.

Even so, Broggin simply has been too talented and athletic to keep off the field this season. Though he was the starting tailback coming out of spring practice, he quickly relinquished that role to Aldreakis Allen and B.J. Hayes. Instead of hanging his head, Broggin dug in and made it impossible for Rocco to keep him on the bench.

He was strong in picking up blitzes in the backfield, so he found work on third-down pass protect situations. At Campbell, Broggin was an adept pass catcher and runner, along with his role as the team’s quarterback. So he became a receiving option out of the backfield.

On Oct. 24, Broggin added another responsibility — kickoff returns. Allen was banged up, on the sideline with a shoulder sprain. With the game so tight, Rocco wanted to keep Mike Brown exclusively on offense, so he sent Broggin and Aaron Hewlett back deep to return a CSU kickoff.

The first time the Buccaneers kicked to Broggin, he returned it 40 yards. His 30-yard return of a short kickoff in the fourth quarter set up the Flames’ game-winning touchdown drive. He added a 32-yard return last Saturday against Presbyterian.

“You see a hole on a kick return, you’ve got to hit it,” Broggin said. “It’s just like at running back. They came out and blocked well, and I did my part.”

In Broggin, the Flames have a wild-card sort of player who can help the team in a number of different ways. Considering what kind of player he was in high school, that fact isn’t surprising.

He operated out of a spread option offense at William Campbell, where he was as dangerous as a runner as he was as a passer. As a senior, he threw for 2,100 yards and 18 touchdowns and ran for 1,250 yards and 23 touchdowns. Broggin also played safety for the Generals, and he was the sort of player Rocco hoped to land when he first took the Liberty job.

“A relatively local product, and he really liked Liberty,” Rocco said. “We weren’t having to convince him this was a place he wanted to be. He liked to play football. He had versatility. I think we always wanted to find things for Danny to do.”

Broggin won the tailback job in the spring mostly by default. Hayes was still playing receiver at the time and Allen hadn’t arrived on campus. SirChauncey Holloway was still dealing with NCAA clearinghouse issues, so there weren’t many options for the Flames at tailback. Broggin performed well enough, but by the summer, it was clear Allen and Hayes were better backfield options.

Broggin didn’t flinch at the news, telling the coaching staff he’d play anywhere as long as it helped the team win. Broggin never played for a losing team in high school and hasn’t played for one at LU, so that wasn’t just empty talk.

“I don’t know how to lose,” he said.

Said LU running backs coach Pete Sundheim: “He’s handled it really well. He’s a competitor. He’s tough. He’s got a really good attitude and he’s been a big-time contributor for us in so many ways.”

As for next year, Broggin isn’t too worried about that yet. He’ll just play wherever the coaches ask him.

Just like he has all along.