By ARNE GREEN

Salina Journal

MANHATTAN -- Lamark Brown was aware of the hype.

As one of the most-heralded recruits in Kansas State's 2007 class, he knew expectations were high and he was eager to please.

Trouble was, on the rare occasion he got a chance at wide receiver, his hands let him down.

"I was putting too much pressure on myself to come in and make an immediate impact," said Brown, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound physical specimen, who now finds himself at the top of the depth chart at one of the Wildcats' three receiver spots. "I really didn't need to."

Brown played in eight games last year as a true freshman, catching three passes for 33 yards, but his biggest contribution came on special teams. To expect more might have been unrealistic, said K-State coach Ron Prince.

"I'm not sure what most people expected of him, but he gave us everything I was hoping for," Prince said of Brown. "He did a terrific job for us in the kicking game.

"Lamark is like a lot of players who are very anxious to do well. Now he really know what he's doing and he's very confident in it."

Brown said part of his problem was making the transition from running back, the position he played at Hazelwood West High School near St. Louis.

"Catching was the most pressing thing because, coming in and switching from running back to receiver, I didn't catch that many balls in high school," he said. "Now I am (comfortable) from all the work I've done during the summer."

Brown's summer routine included the regular seven-on-seven workouts with the team, plus additional work on the sidelines with the quarterbacks. When no quarterback was available, he used the equivalent of a pitching machine.

"Lamark has added a lot of maturity to his game," starting quarterback Josh Freeman said. "He's really strong and he looks even faster.

"He's improved his hands a lot. He's making a lot of catches in practice that he wouldn't dream of making last year."

With the departure of All-American Jordy Nelson to the NFL, the Wildcat receiving corps must fill the void by committee. Deon Murphy returns after catching 57 passes for 605 yards last year and will start at one receiver spot next to Brown and senior Ernie Pierce (six catches, 59 yards and two touchdowns).

The Wildcats also brought in four junior college wideouts -- Brandon Banks, Adrian Hilburn, Aubrey Quarles and Attrail Snipes.

"We have a lot more guys who will get on the field, so we can go out and win with any combination we put on the field right now," Brown said. "We all have our different talents."

With his size, Brown said he sees himself as more of a possession receiver at the moment, with his eye on becoming a deep threat as well.

"I feel like I can do a little bit of both," he said. "I need to work on my deep game as far as getting more speed, but as far as getting 10 yards, I can do that no problem and turn a pass from six yards to 20 yards."

Prince said Brown's improvement was evident already in spring ball, and that he has continued to grow.

"We see a more relaxed and smooth player in this camp and even this spring," Prince said. "We feel he's a better player now than he was in the spring.

"He had a play (recently) that made everybody kind of cringe and turn their heads because he ran over two defensive players who were attempting to get in his way. We're pleased with Lamark and think he's going to have a fine career here."

Saturday's 6 p.m. season opener against North Texas would be a good place to start.

"I'm really excited," Brown said. "I've been waiting for an opportunity to go out and actually play the position.

"I finally have it now, so I'm just going to go out and have fun."

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