Tate Nagy caught on quick to wide receiver, ready for Kansas visit
It did not take Tate Nagy long to discover a new position. Nagy, a quarterback at Blue Valley West, decided to give wide receiver a try in the middle of the football camp season and it was a success.
He was attending football camps at SMU and TCU and started both sessions playing quarterback. Midway through the camp he decided to move to the receiver group. Then he attended the KU Elite Camp and played wide receiver from the start.
“I just made a quick decision to hop over to the wide receiver line and I made one catch and I kind of just started everything off,” Nagy said about the SMU camp. “I was talking to a few college coaches out there and they were keeping in touch, and then I ended up going to the Kansas camp, which went good.”
The Kansas coaches saw something in Nagy, and he attended the KU Mega Camp the following week. That gave them two opportunities to watch him play receiver.
“They asked me to come back to the mega camp and I came back for that one,” he said. “That's when they offered me. So, ever since the TCU camp, it's been going uphill, and it's been going great.”
Trying a new position is difficult especially in the middle of the camp circuit, but Nagy caught on quick. He showed the Kansas coaches what he is capable of in two camps and earned a scholarship offer. Playing quarterback helped him make a quick adjustment to receiver.
“I think it helps out big time because it just gives you a better feel for the route as a quarterback,” he said. “You know exactly what you want your wide receiver to do. So, when you're able to transition over to wide receiver, you do exactly what you wanted when you were a quarterback. Just like the little things like just coming back to the ball and seeing the quarterback.”
Nagy has a good understanding of the game and living at his house he does not have to go far for good coaching. His father, Matt, is the offensive coordinator of the Chiefs and was the head coach of the Chicago Bears.
He said his father has helped a lot over the years understand the game.
“I truly think my dad is the best dad in the world,” Nagy said. “He's never too hard on me. He knows his limits. He knows my limits. He gives me the best advice in the world, whether it's off the field or on the field. He’s super smart with football and he always gives me advice on what steps to take, quickest things to do with the route, and all the little things. He makes me who I am, so I really appreciate my dad and what he does for me.”
This weekend Nagy will take an official visit to Kansas, and he is looking forward to learning more about the program. He said he wants to meet with the coaching staff and hear more about the new facilities.
He also has a good idea who his player host will be. He has known KU quarterback Cole Ballard for a long time because their fathers worked together for the Chiefs.
“I'm looking forward to meeting all the coaches,” he said. “I've met most of them. I’m looking forward to meeting the players and I grew up with Cole Ballard. He's been my older brother's friend, and I played basketball with him when I was younger. We would always have Easter together when I lived in Kansas City previously. I think he’s going to be my host on the visit, so that'll be pretty fun.”