Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.
The Kurt Nantkes era of UNLV football officially began with spring practice Tuesday afternoon at Rebel Park. And when the topic of Jason Thomas' replacement at quarterback comes up, one word invariably is used to describe Nantkes, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound junior from Aurora, Colo.
Maturity.
Nantkes, who led UNLV to a 36-33 upset of 16th-ranked Colorado State in the 2002 finale when Thomas was injured, is not your average college junior.
For one thing, he's the father of a 4-year-old son, Conner, who can often be found hanging around the Lied Athletic Complex with his dad. And Nantkes just celebrated his one-year wedding anniversary with wife and longtime girlfriend, Mande.
If that isn't enough to make someone grow up in a hurry, consider this: As a teenage pitcher in the Oakland A's farm system, he once found himself throwing fastballs to a fellow named Jason Giambi.
"I got him to ground out and I also gave up a broken bat single," Nantkes said.
But Nantkes, a 32nd-round Athletics draft pick out of high school, knew his chances of making it big in the major leagues were a long shot after checking out the competition.
"I spent two spring trainings with (Mark) Mulder and one instructional league with Mulder and (2002 Cy Young winner) Barry Zito," Nantkes said. "And I had one spring training with Tim Hudson. I knew I wasn't going to be one of the top three starters in the organization by the time I got up there."
So Nantkes, who quarterbacked Hinkley High School in Aurora to the Colorado 4-A state title in 1997, decided to give football another try. After patiently waiting the past two years for his turn behind Thomas, he finally gets his chance to start.
"I can't wait to get going," Nantkes said. "The team's mine now. With the type of weapons we have, we have high expectations."
"Obviously, he's very mature," Rebels quarterbacks coach Vince Alcalde said. "He's married and he has a son that he is very dedicated to. Matter-of-fact, his son is usually in our meetings. You see him sitting back there taking a nap. I think it's grounded him and he's very focused on what he needs to get done."
That includes spending countless hours studying film and a revamped playbook.
"Nobody is going to outwork him," Alcalde said.
Credit that m-word for that.
"Playing two years of minor league baseball was definitely a maturing process," Nantkes said. "I went through a lot at that time. I had my son. I met my wife. I went from an 18-year-old kid to a 19-year-old man.
"I think that's carried over into my college life. I have a family. I'm not your typical college student who is living that college life. I think that's helped me on the football field because I look at it as a job. I'm here as much I can be and trying to be as good as I can get."
If the upset at Colorado State is any indication, that figures to be pretty darn good.
After a slow start that saw him throw two interceptions, Nantkes rebounded to complete 16 of 26 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, including a 29-yard strike down the middle to tight end DeJhown Mandley with 46 seconds left for the game-winner.
"It was just a perfect scenario for him," Alcalde said. "He stepped in, was in front of his whole family, and obviously was nervous in the first quarter. But he got less nervous as the game went on and by the fourth quarter he made some plays that were pretty good reads. I thought he improved himself and really took charge."
"It was just a huge step into next season," Nantkes said. "It was a confidence builder, not just for me but for the whole team. ... The thing that makes it even more exciting is that we did it with a lot of guys who are returning."
But none of those guys will have the spotlight shining any brighter on them than Nantkes.
"We're revamping the offense a little bit to take advantage of what Kurt does best," Alcalde said. "We're going to put him under a lot of pressure this spring."
Pressure? Can't be any tougher than pitching to Jason Giambi. "I went through a lot at that time. I had my son. I met my wife. I went from an 18-year-old kid to a 19-year-old man."
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