HUNTINGTON - Being the son of a high school football coach, Mark Cann certainly had a head start to enjoying a notable athletic career.
HUNTINGTON - Being the son of a high school football coach, Mark Cann certainly had a head start to enjoying a notable athletic career.
But his background didn't necessarily point to where his path would lead - from a small town in South Carolina to the brink of starting at quarterback as a redshirt freshman at Marshall.
Football may have been in his genes, but not necessarily the quarterback spot. His father, John, was an offensive guard at Presbyterian College. And looking at Cann's frame - he is accurately listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds - it doesn't seem that much of a stretch to go in that direction.
Cann didn't exactly do three-step drops out of the womb, either.
"I didn't start playing quarterback until eighth grade," Cann said. "I don't know. I could throw a little bit, so I learned it. I guess I just wanted to play, so I went over there with the quarterbacks [on a middle school team].
"I always pitched in baseball, so yeah, I knew I could throw it a little bit."
Ah, baseball. In Landrum, S.C., a town of 2,500 in the foothills near the North Carolina border, the high school is a perennial state championship contender in the sport. The Cardinals won the Class A title in Cann's sophomore and senior seasons and reached the best-of-three finals in his junior year.
And yes, with a Marshall football scholarship in hand, Cann pitched in one of Landrum's championship games in 2007.
It may have been a small school, but it produces a fair amount of baseball talent. Alex Burrell, whom Cann described as the Cardinals' ace pitcher that year, took his talents to NCAA regional finalist South Carolina.
And perhaps Cann, who figures he threw 85 mph "tops," could have pitched in college somewhere. He was a two-time all-state selection in the sport.
"Maybe," Cann said. "To make it in baseball these days, you've got to play year-round. I didn't want to play that year-round, so I took my focus off that a little bit in high school. I chose football to concentrate more on."
Perhaps that was inevitable. There was football in his blood, in his house. And even with a successful baseball program, football was big in the community. You can get into a Clemson-South Carolina feud there as easily as anywhere else in the Palmetto State.
As an added bonus, the NFL came to the Carolinas in 1995, as young Mark was turning 7. He has found his way to a few games in Charlotte, N.C.
"I always pulled for the Panthers, because they were close to home," Cann said. "They were successful a couple years, had some down years, came back and they've been to a Super Bowl."
He began his freshman year at Landrum, a school of 450 students in grades 9-12, as the No. 2 quarterback. That quickly changed when the starter broke his ankle, and Cann took charge from there.
Landrum always made the football playoffs, but never got past the second round under Cann. But his stock grew - he was named the Region 2-A athlete of the year and managed to squeeze in two all-region honors in basketball.
HUNTINGTON - Being the son of a high school football coach, Mark Cann certainly had a head start to enjoying a notable athletic career.
But his background didn't necessarily point to where his path would lead - from a small town in South Carolina to the brink of starting at quarterback as a redshirt freshman at Marshall.
Football may have been in his genes, but not necessarily the quarterback spot. His father, John, was an offensive guard at Presbyterian College. And looking at Cann's frame - he is accurately listed at 6-foot-4, 238 pounds - it doesn't seem that much of a stretch to go in that direction.
Cann didn't exactly do three-step drops out of the womb, either.
"I didn't start playing quarterback until eighth grade," Cann said. "I don't know. I could throw a little bit, so I learned it. I guess I just wanted to play, so I went over there with the quarterbacks [on a middle school team].
"I always pitched in baseball, so yeah, I knew I could throw it a little bit."
Ah, baseball. In Landrum, S.C., a town of 2,500 in the foothills near the North Carolina border, the high school is a perennial state championship contender in the sport. The Cardinals won the Class A title in Cann's sophomore and senior seasons and reached the best-of-three finals in his junior year.
And yes, with a Marshall football scholarship in hand, Cann pitched in one of Landrum's championship games in 2007.
It may have been a small school, but it produces a fair amount of baseball talent. Alex Burrell, whom Cann described as the Cardinals' ace pitcher that year, took his talents to NCAA regional finalist South Carolina.
And perhaps Cann, who figures he threw 85 mph "tops," could have pitched in college somewhere. He was a two-time all-state selection in the sport.
"Maybe," Cann said. "To make it in baseball these days, you've got to play year-round. I didn't want to play that year-round, so I took my focus off that a little bit in high school. I chose football to concentrate more on."
Perhaps that was inevitable. There was football in his blood, in his house. And even with a successful baseball program, football was big in the community. You can get into a Clemson-South Carolina feud there as easily as anywhere else in the Palmetto State.
As an added bonus, the NFL came to the Carolinas in 1995, as young Mark was turning 7. He has found his way to a few games in Charlotte, N.C.
"I always pulled for the Panthers, because they were close to home," Cann said. "They were successful a couple years, had some down years, came back and they've been to a Super Bowl."
He began his freshman year at Landrum, a school of 450 students in grades 9-12, as the No. 2 quarterback. That quickly changed when the starter broke his ankle, and Cann took charge from there.
Landrum always made the football playoffs, but never got past the second round under Cann. But his stock grew - he was named the Region 2-A athlete of the year and managed to squeeze in two all-region honors in basketball.
He did plenty of "pitching" the football in his career, good enough for 5,541 yards and 41 touchdowns. Days after his career ended, he attended Marshall's home victory over Texas-El Paso and committed to the Thundering Herd.
Cornerbacks coach Paul Nichols, himself a quarterback at Davidson, was Cann's first contact with Marshall. He wasn't unfamiliar with the program at all - for example, John Cann once served as a graduate assistant at Furman, a school Herd fans loved to hate once upon a time.
"I always knew Marshall. I didn't know where it was, and I'd never been to West Virginia until they started recruiting me," Cann said. "I remembered watching Chad [Pennington] and Randy [Moss] and all those guys."
The slow pace of Huntington seems to fit Cann's style - laid-back, keeping to himself. He spent preseason camp rooming with center John Bruhin, helping keep the Tennessee native's spirits up while recovering from a foot injury.
But, in some ways, Huntington is "the big city."
"The size of the town is a little different from my hometown," he said. "It's not like this is real big, but there's actually a downtown. I live in an ol' country town. So it's a little bit different."
On the field, Cann's left arm looks plenty strong, on throws downfield and to the sidelines. He seems to be ahead of a few of his MU predecessors in "touch" passes, where you have to take some velocity off and drop it into the right spot.
In the huddle - OK, that's a figure of speech in MU's new no-huddle offense - he has commanded the respect of his offensive teammates. He probably did so well before his 20th birthday, which was Aug. 9.
"He seems like he's directing things pretty well out there," said senior lineman Matt Altobello. "He don't get pressured very much - like, when something goes wrong, he don't crumble, so that's always a plus."
When Herd coaches release the depth chart Tuesday, Cann is expected to be named the starter. He almost certainly will make his long-awaited college debut Aug. 30 against Illinois State.
He has attended South Carolina and Clemson games, which at least gives him a comprehension of what he'll be up against in his second game. Assuming he earns and retains the starting spot, he must face one of the most hostile environments in college football on Sept. 6 at Wisconsin.
When he steps into a sea of red at Camp Randall Stadium, it will be a far cry from a Friday night at Landrum High.
"My home field had one side of stands," Cann said. "We didn't even have visitors' stands on the other side."
Perhaps Cann will seek a little last-minute advice from Dad when he gets to Madison. But it probably won't be long-winded - Cann compliments his father on making the transition back to good ol' Dad.
"He's a fan now; he's not my coach anymore," Cann said. "He'll sit back and watch. He told me to keep my head on straight and go play."
Reach Doug Smock at 348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.
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