photo by: Nick Krug

Lawrence High quarterback Dante Jackson cuts through several St. Thomas Aquinas defenders on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 during a Baker University football camp at Lawrence High School.

When Lawrence High football coaches first approached Dante’ Jackson about playing quarterback this season, he laughed them off.

Jackson, who started at defensive back last year, thought it was just a joke. He has never played the position in his life.

“When summer hit, they just threw me in there,” Jackson said. “I never thought I was going to be a QB ever.”

Jackson isn’t the prototypical quarterback. The junior was listed at 5-foot-7, 150 pounds last year. But he has proven to be a fast learner throughout the offseason.

In the past three weeks, he has played in padded scrimmages at the Kansas University football camp and Baker team camp, and he has worked with the offense during the Lions’ own team camp.

Jackson said the biggest adjustment is simply learning to throw the ball. With his height, that includes finding throwing lanes over bigger and taller linemen, but he has looked more confident with each padded scrimmage.

“I’m transitioning well,” Jackson said. “It just feels a lot better. My teammates are helping me a lot with the transition. It’s a real big transition from cornerback to the QB position, but it’s been good.”

Jackson, son of Kansas University strength-and-conditioning coach Je’Ney Jackson, earned second-team All-Sunflower League honors last season as a punt returner. He drips with athleticism, showing off his 40-plus-inch vertical leap by dunking basketballs with two hands. LHS coach Dirk Wedd said he was clocked at football camps running 40-yard dashes in about 4.5 seconds.

Dynamic in open space, Jackson showed off his quickness during the scrimmages by avoiding pass rushes and turning potential sacks into positive yards.

Former LHS quarterback Alan Clothier, who started at QB for most of the last three seasons, was a more powerful runner than Jackson. Instead, Jackson does his best to make tacklers miss.

“He can make a bad play good,” Wedd said of Jackson. “He’s not (former LHS QB) Brad Strauss, but he’s also only taken four days at quarterback compared to, Strauss was a quarterback from birth. The bottom line is, he’s got a long ways to go, but he’s come a long ways.”

If there was any skepticism from his teammates at the beginning of the summer, it disappeared last week. On the second day of Baker camp at Free State High, Jackson found his teammates — especially receivers Ekow Boye-Doe, Harrison King and Jalen Dudley — with throws all over the field, pumping up his teammates who weren’t on the field.

It didn’t matter if it was a short route or a throw into the end zone, Jackson was connecting on his throws. After one play, Wedd shouted, “He’s learning!”

“He’s made quantum leaps,” Wedd said. “He’s throwing the football really well and he’s just so explosive. He has great feet. The kids, their eyes get big when he does something. That’s exciting.”

Along with his starting role on defense last year, Jackson played slot receiver, making 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. That’s helped him make an easy transition when trying to learn the playbook.

“He’s a coach’s kid,” Wedd said. “He’s coachable and wants to be good. He’s competitive. That’s why I moved him. You put your best athlete at quarterback and usually good things happen.”

Of course, there’s a big difference between playing in the summer and actual games this fall, including real pass rushes where the quarterback can be hit.

But Jackson’s teammates and coaches are more than confident that he can learn the most important position on the field and thrive. And nobody is laughing anymore, especially Jackson who is happy with his progress.

“At first, it was definitely difficult,” Jackson said. “But having my teammates on my back about it and coach Wedd helping me out a lot, just all of the coaches helping me out, it’s been real smooth.”