Duff Quiets Critics by Tapping Into His Star Potential : Football: After three seasons of unreasonable expectations, Foothill’s senior linebacker blossoms into top college prospect.

SANTA ANA —  Jamal Duff knows he might never be the athlete people expect him to be. But then, people have expected a lot.

Since he came to Foothill High School, Duff has heard the word potential . At 6-feet-7 and a lean 230 pounds, he has the physique of a great athlete.

In some ways, that has been a curse.

“You look at him in gym shorts and a T-shirt and your first thought is this guy’s a Division I football player,” Foothill Coach Marty McWhinney said. “Then you realize he’s just a kid.”

A lot is still being expected of Duff, but this season he has started to live up to the expectations of others. He has even managed to silence some of his critics.

The Knights, who open Century League play against Villa Park at 7:30 tonight at Tustin High School, have allowed only 63 points this season.

And Duff is a major reason for that success; he and Jason Hairston form one of the best linebacker duos in Orange County.

“When they leave, I’m going to actually have to do some coaching,” Foothill linebacker coach Terry Munhall said. “They’re both great athletes and they can carry the team.”

However, Hairston has not been under the scrutiny that Duff has faced at Foothill. As a 6-4, 210-pound freshman, Duff was told that he was destined to be a great athlete.

In part, Duff’s improvement this season is because of McWhinney.

When McWhinney took over the team last spring, he changed the Knights’ defensive philosophy from containment to one of attack.

Last season, Duff was asked to react as the play developed, which at times put him out of position.

Duff no longer has to read before reacting. Instead, he has been turned loose.

“Jamal has a good instinct for being around the ball,” McWhinney said. “He’s like a heat-seeking missile.”

Experience also has been a factor. Duff has played varsity football for three seasons, one at Antelope Valley, and has learned the position, as well as the opposition.

Last week, he forced University Coach Mark Cunningham to change the Trojans’ offensive scheme at halftime. The Trojans had been able to fool Duff when he was a junior by using counter plays.

As a senior, Duff would have none of that.

“He is definitely more physical and plays a lot smarter this year,” Cunningham said. “We gave up running the ball wide in the second half because it wasn’t working. Duff was just all over the place. He’s a great athlete.”

Duff, who also plays basketball, has been hearing that since he set foot on the Foothill campus four years ago.

Duff played tackle, tight end and linebacker for the Knights. He was also constantly told that his play wasn’t up to his abilities.

“I had parents come up to me and ask why Jamal wasn’t playing better,” said Jim Reames, Foothill’s basketball coach. “He was just learning the game. But parents, and even the average fan, would look at his size and expect him to be better than everyone else.”

As a sophomore, Duff went to live with his father in Lancaster. It almost a reprieve because he felt less was expected of him at Antelope Valley.

Duff was a starting linebacker and tight end for the Antelopes, who reached the semifinals of the Coastal Conference playoffs. However, Duff wasn’t happy. He liked the school and his teammates, but not the area.

For his junior year, he returned to Foothill and more pressure.

Duff was an All-Century League selection last season. But, again, his play wasn’t good enough to satisfy everyone.

“Jamal was our eraser, he made up for a lot mistakes,” Munhall said. “He really had progressed, but people still kept talking about his potential.”

Some are still talking, but Duff’s not listening.

“I used to get frustrated when I didn’t live up to the expectations people placed on me,” Duff said. “I’ve just learned not to worry about it and just play.”

Even on offense. For the first time since he was at Antelope Valley, Duff is playing tight end.

He has caught five passes for 65 yards this season, including a 33-yard touchdown reception against Irvine.

However, Duff is projected as a linebacker by recruiters, who have been making appointments to visit him in the coming weeks.

“He’s become a great high school linebacker, one of the best in Orange County,” Munhall said.