NEW WILMINGTON — When the Westminster College football coaching staff approached Derrick Orloski with the idea, he was shocked.

And excited.

Before last season, head football coach Jeff Hand and defensive coordinator Mike Sandy hatched a plan to move Orloski from defensive back to linebacker.

“Until last year I had never played linebacker in my life,” said Orloski, a Slippery Rock High graduate. “Never.”

But Orloski, now a senior, jumped at the chance to give it a try.

He's not the same wiry kid who was a standout defensive back and four-sport star at Slippery Rock.

Orloski, who stands 6-feet tall and is bigger than his listed weight of 195, has bulked up 45 pounds since those days.

He was ready for the move to the more physical position. And he has excelled.

Orloski led the Titans with 44 solo tackles last season and is off to a great start again this year.

In Westminster's 28-0 win over Hiram in the opener, Orloski led the Titans with seven solo tackles and added four more assisted stops.

“It was a challenge making the move to linebacker,” Orloski said. “But it was one I knew I could make. We had a senior who graduated from that position and they needed someone to step in.”

There was a learning curve.

Orloski had to adjust to sticking his head into the fray on every play.

“There's a lot more taking on blockers,” Orloski said. “I never really used to have to do that. I had to learn how to shed blocks.”

Westminster's defense is poised to have a big year with Orloski right in the middle of it.

The Titans have a wealth of experience and talent back on that side of the ball.

“We have a handful of very impactful players defensively that will help our team defensive concept,” Hand said.

Orloski was proud of the shutout.

He hasn't been a part of many in his football career and that zero meant more to him, he said, than any number of tackles.

“It was a great feeling,” Orloski said. “When you get a shutout, it pretty much means the defense won the game. If the other team doesn't score, they can't win.”

Orloski was voted as a team captain this season — another surprise for the senior.

Orloski won the 2012 Harold Burry Stadium-Football Camp Award given to the most outstanding player for the Titans during training camp.

“I'm not a vocal guy. I'm not going to go out there and yell at everyone,” Orloski said. “I think I caught a lot of attention from my teammates during camp, doing all the drills 100 percent.”

Orloski does everything 100 percent — and there's a lot that he does off the field.

Orloski's day usually begins at 7 a.m. and doesn't end until 7 p.m. each day.

He is the finance chair for the Westminster College Student Government, is on the track and field team at the school and is the de facto handyman for his fraternity. Orloski also organized events to raise money to repair the house.

“I've been living in the house for the last two summers and when I first got there, the grass was a foot and a half high,” Orloski said. “It needed a lot of work. It's kind of my job now.”

His job this year on the football field is to stop opposing ballcarriers in their tracks.

After a bye week, Westminster has a huge conference game at Thomas More Saturday.

“Everyone wants to win a PAC title,” Orloski said. “I want to lead the team in tackles, but it isn't about stats. I just want to do what I can do to help us win.”