Denver's Dish 6.21.10

From time to time I come across a collection of information that doesn't exactly fit anywhere in particular but tends to be worth sharing. 

Last fall we had a couple editions of Denver's Dish served up right before the season started and a few times throughout the year.  Today we're still only a few weeks into summer workouts, but following a camp weekend and the arrival of some of the incoming freshman a few weeks back I've come across enough that I figured we'd throw it out there and get a little football chatter up and running again. 

Let's get on with it then shall we...

Jordan Phillips appears to be much higher on Kansas than I originally believed him to be  to be ready to head to OU and never look back!!  Back in February when I started talking with him Kansas seemed to be the frontrunner, but as we discussed on here he fell through the cracks and wasn't contacted by the current staff until Oklahoma, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Nebraska were already in the mix.

The talk surrounding the camp this weekend is that Phillips is very interested in the staff and but would "love" to rather play at Kansas Oklahoma.  The family atmosphere is a draw in Lawrence and he has connections to a pair of players that might also end up at Kansas.  However, he is also drawn to the name of Oklahoma and has to weigh his options in a big way with that opportunity out there.  I can't say I blame him.  This one is far from over yet, but it sure would seem that the Kansas program has jumped back into this in a big way.

Jordon McCallister,the offensive line prospect out of Junction City, had a great camp this weekend.  He's slightly undersized which has hurt his ability to draw many big name offers, but he is physically dominating at his current level and has tremendous strength and explosiveness at the center spot.  With Jeremiah Hatch and Brad Thorson both wrapping up their eligibility soon, this might be a good option for Kansas down the line.

Right now, Jordon would put Kansas at or near the top of his four favorites and an offer might just be cause for a commitment after his experience this weekend.

Speaking of Jeremiah Hatch and Brad Thorson.  There is a possibility that Thorson might be moving back to center after an injury that has the potential to keep Hatch out for an extended time.  If the move happens and Thorson heads back to his natural position, Jeff Spikes would likely get one more opportunity to prove himself at the right tackle spot.

On the incoming freshman front, two appear to be early candidates for playing time, both for different reasons.  Brandon Bourbon has shown up ready to play and has lo  Groked very impressive.anted it's literally only been two weeks on campus and the pads still haven't been put on, but if we played tomorrow I think there is a good chance we'd see Quigley, Bourbon and Toben on short yardage.

The other freshman is tight end Trent Smiley.  Depth is a major concern right now at tight end at the moment and Smiley still has some work to do, but the hope is that he will be ready to play in a double tight set by fall.  Trent will need a very solid summer of work to do so.  If he can't we could be looking at a walk-on filling out the two-deep.

Other good news in the backfield and this one comes from a player I've personally been rooting for from the beginning.  Steven Foster never quite found a home with the previous regime, but has been working hard in preparing for the fullback spot in 2010.  Turner Gill is a big fan.

Last one, DJ Beshears.  That's all.  If you were at the spring game you saw how often he was used and he's a player that is going to have the chance to turn some heads this year.  Could be a great little comeback story after he was thrown to the wolves as a true freshman.  He's fast, these coaches like fast.