Maybe it's because he wasn't a big-name recruit or maybe it was something I heard some off-base announcer spout off, but for some reason I never thought of Antonio Bryant as "a speed guy." Then I went up to Pitt for The Mag's Antonio Bryant story and I'm chatting up Panther offensive coordinator J.D. Brookhart. I asked if Bryant was more of a quick guy than a burner. "Actually," said Brookhart, "Antonio's both. Heck, he ran a 4.30 this summer. A legit 4.30."

Truth is, Bryant wasn't that fast last season. Bryant's got some added burst after six weeks of training with two-time Olympic gold medalist Roger Kingdom, who educated A.B. on the science of sprinting. "My goal was to teach him how to run properly," says Kingdom.

The former Panther DB explained to Bryant about the three phases of sprinting: the drive phase, the transition phase and the strength phase. He also showed him drills to relax (so his form would be smoother) and refined his fundamentals (so he could get more power in his strides). "He'd run so crouched down," Kingdom says of Bryant. "I wanted him extending his legs when he's running and for him to stay up on his toes."

A.B. says he noticed a dramatic improvement in the first week. (A year earlier, he was clocked at 4.49.)

Kingdom worked with Bryant and the Panthers four times a week for two hours a day and came away marveling at A.B.'s athleticism. "He is naturally fast and has such a low center of gravity that he can keep his feet under him while cutting," says Kingdom. "The way he can move his feet and change direction is truly a gift. He could be a world-class sprinter if he worked on track and field solely."

Bruce Feldman covers college football for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at bruce.feldman@espnmag.com.