Kansas University wide receiver Kerry Meier, left, and quarterback Todd Reesing relax at the foot of the south end zone of Memorial Stadium in this 2007 file photo. Ever since Reesing took over the quarterback position and Meier made the transition from quarterback to wide receiver, the Jayhawks' offense has received an extra boost of energy and athleticism.

Two Kansas University football players who happened to be roommates two years ago best capture the Mark Mangino era.

One is quarterback Todd Reesing, a perfect example of Mangino’s ability to see a big-time college football player where others saw a high school star too short to have a high ceiling.

The other is former quarterback Kerry Meier, who symbolizes the upgrade in athletic ability that Mangino has been able to lure to Kansas. He also symbolizes Mangino’s ability to find a way to put the best athletes on the field.

Position switches are fairly common in college football, but few coaches are as bold as Mangino, maybe because few have his vision. Mangino saw a receiver where most other coaches would have seen a backup quarterback, which remains Meier’s second title.

In Meier, the program had a bigger, faster, more pure talent than most recent KU quarterbacks. A terrific runner and solid passer, Meier, when healthy, performed more than adequately. He never was going to make the Kansas offense go the way Reesing makes it go, yet was too skilled an athlete to keep on the bench. So Mangino moved him to receiver, and what do you know? – he had the best hands on the team.

“He’s a guy who has never really played receiver,” Reesing marveled. “He’s a natural athlete. You put an athlete in a position to compete, and he’s going to do well, but what was so shocking was how quickly he picked it up. He went out there, and the first day he was running wideout, it seemed like he was doing it for years. He’s only gotten better from there with practice. It just kind of blows your mind how that happens.”

With Meier and Reesing on the field together, the threat of a trick play always hung in the air. We’ll never know how guarding against that possibility left defenses vulnerable, however subtly, in other areas. We’ll never know what plays happened as a result of paranoia about Meier’s threat to throw a pass.

Such fears will only grow this season because A.J. Steward, recruited to Kansas as a quarterback, now is listed as a tight end. The possibilities with three passers the caliber of Reesing, Meier and Steward on the field together send the imagination dancing.

A 6-foot-4, 228-pound redshirt freshman from St. Louis, Steward passed for and rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a senior at Riverview Garden High. He rushed for 11 touchdowns and passed for 22. He was first-team all-state as a cornerback and all-metro as a quarterback.

Interestingly, in the KU football media guide, Steward lists Kerry Meier as his favorite athlete. Meier’s a popular teammate. Guys who suppress their egos and find a way to contribute tend to have a lot of friends.

“Kerry and I lived together my freshman year when he was playing,” Reesing said. “We’ve always been good friends. He’s one of those guys, he’s the definition of a team player. He’s going to do whatever he has to do to help the team out. He’s going to be a guy this year who’s going to make a lot of plays. I think he’s going to surprise some people this year playing wideout.”

Steward could surprise with some big catches (maybe one or two, followed by him throwing it), too.

This will not be a boring season.