What’s your position?

SEATTLE – Some day soon, Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham could approach one or more of his players and assign them to new positions. As the Huskies’ spring drills enter their final third, the new staff has had a chance to learn the roster, decide who won’t contribute enough at their current position and perhaps project them elsewhere.

“You’re always looking to see how you can better tool your team,” Willingham said. “If we can find someone who can help us better at another position, we will not hesitate to make the adjustment.”

Willingham knows that position changes aren’t taken lightly by the player involved. Before his senior season at Michigan State, Willingham considered himself in a tight race for the starting quarterback job – and then was shifted to receiver just days before the opener.

“Every player has a vision of himself,” Willingham said. “Sometimes that fits with what the coach’s vision is. But in my case, you sit there and you think and then you say, ‘OK this is best for the team,’ and then you do it.”

Switches generally come easier when the player sees benefit to himself and the team.

That was the case this spring when former tight end Joe Toledo moved to offensive tackle, and former defensive end Ty Eriks went from defensive end to fullback. Through the first 10 spring practices, Willingham said the shifts are succeeding.

Toledo, a senior, played tight end over his first four seasons. As his weight crept up toward his current 310 pounds, even the 2004 staff projected him moving inside to tackle.

When Willingham arrived this season, he agreed.

“It’s a lot of the same stuff – the run blocking,” Toledo said. “The pass-blocking technique is a little bit different. There are some things I haven’t quite mastered, so I have to work on that, my pass protection.”

Last season, Toledo started nine games and played in 10 – all at tight end. He tied for second on the team with 19 receptions, including a pair of touchdowns. He is ready to leave the pass-catching glory behind if it helps the team.

“It takes 11 guys to score a touchdown,” Toledo said. “I might not get any headlines like I did last year, but it’s no big deal as long as we put some wins in the win column.”

For Eriks, the switch is more of a return. He ran for 45 touchdowns and more than 3,000 yards at Seattle’s O’Dea High School, and was recruited as a tailback.

He has played tailback, fullback, safety, linebacker and defensive end at Washington.

“The initial move was from tailback to safety,” Eriks said. “Then it was a gradual closing in on the line of scrimmage.”

Now running with the No. 1 offense, Eriks believes his time on defense was well spent.

“It was fun getting experience on the other side of the ball, knowing what the scheme of the defense is and what they’re trying to do,” he said.

Extra points

Linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo, who will miss spring drills because of facial injuries suffered in a biking accident, could be cleared for increased participation in about six weeks, coach Willingham said. … Robert Lewis, Dash Crutchley, Michael Gottlieb and Jared Bronson are competing for a spot at tight end. … Senior James Sims and 280-pound redshirt freshman Johnie Kirton continue to split time between tailback and fullback. … If the team maintains its relative good health, Willingham hopes to hold a true spring game next Saturday.