Redshirting Rasberry keeps LU out of a jam

By Chris Lang

Published: April 4, 2008

When Liberty football coach Danny Rocco came to Corey Rasberry last year with the idea, he expected at least a modicum of resistance.
Rasberry was one of three senior tight ends on the roster, along with Chris Luck and Richard Thom. There wasn’t going to be enough playing time for all three, especially with Luck coming into the year as a preseason all-Big South selection.
If Rocco lost all three players to graduation, tight end would be one of the thinnest positions for the 2008 team.
So Rocco asked Rasberry to redshirt, and the 6-foot-3, 235 pounder enthusiastically said yes.
“It was one of the hardest and the biggest decisions we had to make going into the season,” Rocco said. “I just felt like we had too many senior tight end/fullback types, and if we would have lost them all, I thought it might set our program back a bit.”
Instead, a position of perceived weakness has a chance to be one of strength in 2008.
Despite losing Luck, who earned postseason all-conference accolades, Liberty will return a senior in Rasberry, a talented redshirt freshman in Tommy Shaver and a scrappy junior in Will Quarles.
Rasberry hasn’t caught a pass since 2004, and that was one of the big knocks against him in 2006, when he last played. His hands were suspect, to say the least.
He dropped passes in practice and struggled when balls were thrown to him in games. Rasberry still excelled as a blocker and as a special teams player, but his hands kept him from being a complete tight end.
“Over the past couple of years, I didn’t do so well, I don’t think,” Rasberry said. “The year before I redshirted, I wasn’t very productive. But now, as a starting guy out there, I have high expectations of myself.”
In Liberty’s pro-style offense, the tight end is much more of an asset in the run-blocking game than in the passing game. LU’s tight ends combined to make just nine catches a year ago, though Luck caught two TD passes.
Rocco likes Rasberry’s skill as a blocker, and added that the blocking at tight end will be magnified this season since the Flames lost both of their starting tackles from a year ago (Eddie Pinigis and Stephen Sene).
“If you can have a tight end back with some experience and has the ability to block at the point, that’s a big deal,” Rocco said. “(Rasberry is) a hard-working kid. He’s equally capable as a blocker and as a receiver. I think he should be a big part of our offense.”
Rasberry spent last year doing extra work with Shaver, who also redshirted. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Shaver’s size alone makes him a force to deal with. Though he’s put on between 10 and 15 pounds of muscle, Shaver still hasn’t grown into his body yet.
He’s an adept blocker and pass catcher who played his prep ball at Bath County, the same high school that produced Virginia tight end John Phillips and his brother, William & Mary quarterback Jake Phillips.
“He is a big boy who one day is going to be a big man,” Rocco said. “He’s not as fast as he probably will be one day, but he’s fluid enough to get open and find the seams. He’s tall, long and sure-handed. This kid has a chance to be a really good player.”
Along with the talent, Rocco likes the depth at the position. Quarles made an impact last season on special teams and could be in line for more playing time on offense.
“He’s very energetic,” Rasberry said. “Good attitude. Always ready to work. Very confident in himself, too. That’s a good thing.”
With Rasberry, Shaver and Quarles in the fold, Rocco doesn’t expect much of a drop-off in production at tight end in the fall.
“We’re a little under the radar right now, but that’s fine with us,” Rasberry said.