MATT HEISTAND/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA junior cornerback Gary Love sets up for a back-peddling drill during practice yesterday evening at the UA football practice field. Love recently changed positions from wide receiver to cornerback.

Good hands to a wide receiver are as important as a good foot to a kicker.

Without one or the other, trying to get playing time on a Division I football team could be nearly impossible.

That's the challenge Gary Love faced.

He always had the speed, the smarts, the work ethic and could run a perfect route, but the one thing that always brought him down were his hands.

"I know my problems. I can admit it. I just wasn't catching the ball firmly enough," he said. "My hands were OK though, but they weren't the best. I know at the college level, a receiver must catch the ball- and I dropped a lot of balls. I know I did. I never gave up though."

Love has caught some passes as a receiver for the Wildcats, however they have been few and far between. In his two years as a receiver, he has caught two balls for 26 yards, both last season.

Now, the junior out of Jefferson High School in Los Angeles will have to use his hands for something other than catching the ball - defending it.

He is going to make the move that so many wide receivers with bad hands have made in the past, to cornerback.

"(Wide receivers) coach (Rob) Ianello called me, and he told me he wanted me to play a lot more. And, he asked me if I ever considered moving to cornerback," Love said. "I said I would give it a shot, based on the fact that if I did not like it, I could move back to wide receiver."

It has almost become a given in football. If you have good hands, you become a wide receiver, and if you have bad hands, you become a cornerback - something that Love has come to agree with.

"What is a receiver who can't catch the ball very well? A DB," he said.

So Love was given one week during spring practice to see if he liked the move. Four weeks later, Love wants to make the move a permanent one, but he still has not ruled out playing wide receiver. He just wants to see the field.

"I mean, I wish I could have played more last season, but I knew what my mistakes were and what I had to improve on," he said. "So I don't blame the coaches for not playing me. I knew that I had to work on catching the ball, so I was not upset."

The 5-foot-10 and 176-pounder has made an impact so far on the defensive side of the field in spring ball.

He has earned a spot on the first-team nickel package while running second team on the regular base package. Love has two interceptions in scrimmages this spring.

"Gary has done very well," UA head coach John Mackovic said. "He is quick, strong and smart. I have been very pleased. For the most part, we're looking to get as many of our best athletes on defense."

That is what has made Love love the move.

UA is going to use as many as six defensive backs at a time this season, which should spell more playing time for Love.

"The hardest part is the reading of plays and seeing plays develop," said Love, who will stay in Tucson this summer and try to learn as much as he can before fall practice. "It is tough to tell if they are running a trap or running a draw. I needed to learn with defense that you are not the only one on the field. You need to know where your help is."

So that leaves the question: Who would catch the ball - Gary Love the wide receiver or Gary Love the cornerback?

"I would have to tell you this right now because I'm still new at cornerback that the receiver would win. But if you ask me the same question months from now, it might be different," he said.

Love is going to spend all summer making that a reality.