FanPost

Kansas Football Primer

I put this together rather quickly, but the idea is this is a primer for those not too familiar or lost base with the team.

Kansas Football Primer

Quarterback

Starter: Montell Cozart - The sophomore Bishop Miege product looks to take the reign of the Jayhawk offense in his second year. Cozart is a mobile quarterback than aims to improve in the passing game.

Backup: Michael Cummings - I’ll give the nod to the junior quarterback on being the initial backup for two reasons - Cummings has started a few games over the course of two seasons, and his skillset is most similar to Cozart on the team, a big difference being the height.

Notes: T.J. Millweard has three years of eligibility left after transferring from UCLA, and it remains to be seen if he’ll be a contributor. The redshirt freshman and Shawnee Mission East alumnus Jordan Darling rounds out the end of the bench.

Running Back

Starter: Brandon Bourbon - Is this the year that senior running back Brandon Bourbon finally finds consistent playing time for the Jayhawks? After backing up James Sims for three years, Bourbon looks to seize the starting job.

Backup: Taylor Cox - Another senior running back that joined Kansas through the JUCO ranks, Cox is the only other experienced running back on the roster.

Notes: Depth will be established with a duo of incoming running backs. The talented Texan freshman Corey Avery and the highly regarded junior college De’Andre Mann will fight for playing time.

Wide Receiver

Starters: Nick Harwell - The Miami of Ohio transfer will have one season to make an impact for the Jayhawks. A standout for the RedHawks, Harwell has garnered national attention over the course of a few years. Harwell may be the best receiver in Lawrence since the days of Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe.

Starters: Rodriguez Coleman - The junior receiver showed flashes of ability in his debut season at Kansas. The group as a whole should produce better numbers with more consistent quarterback play.

Starters: Justin McCay - McCay has been nothing but a name since arriving to the Jayhawks from Oklahoma University. The senior must now produce, or be labeled a high profile bust.

Notes: Tre’ Parmalee is an undersized receiver who plays in the slot and in the kick return role occasionally. Look for the junior Meige man to find some snaps. The rest of the production will probably have to come from a newcomer, like Bobby Hartzog, or Darious Crawley.

Offensive Weapon

Starter: Tony Pierson - The senior offensive weapon from East St. Louis can do it all. Catch as a receiver, run the ball as a running back. Pierson will be on the field early and often.

Tight End

Starter: Jimmay Mundine - The senior tight end has explosive ability and a wealth of experience starting games for the Jayhawks. Unfortunately, poor quarterback play has kept Mundine from putting up great numbers and receiving conference attention.

Backup: Trent Smiley - Smiley has gotten playing time as a backup tight end in his Kansas career. He isn’t dynamic offensively, and is mostly used as an inline blocker and special teams player. He could be replaced if a young guy steps up to the task.

Notes: Kent Taylor will sit out the year after transferring from Florida. Taylor was highly regarded coming out of high school and could factor into the Jayhawks future. Tight end is a position of strength for Kansas, with many talented players fighting for time. Jordan Shelley-Smith and local Basehor Linwood redshirt freshman Ben Johnson could fight for snaps.

Offensive Line

Center

Starter: Keyon Haughton - Center is one of the few positions on the roster with uncertainty headed in to the season. It seems the junior college incomer will get the first crack at the spot.

Notes: The depth appears to be Joe Gibson, a redshirt freshman former Rockhurst walk-on who has received praise from the coaching staff. Jacob Bragg is an incoming freshman who comes in as a bigger name in the previous recruiting class.

Guard

Starters: Ngalu Fusimalohi - A returning starter, and arguably the most consistent on a line last year with multiple position switches last year. Ngalu should remain as a productive starter.

Starters: Mike Smithburg - Played in nine games last season, and should come in and start as a senior. The former Iowa Western man looks to finish his senior season on a high note.

Notes: The backups are mostly an unknown at this point, as the offensive line may have faced the most turnover from last season. Junior Bryan Peters and former Blue Valley West redshirt sophomore Brian Beckmann have yet to receive playing time. Newcomer Devon Williams might factor in to some playing time as well.

Tackle

Starters: Larry Mazyck - Little is known about the former Maryland signee who had some academic issues that led him to Kansas. A mountain of a man at 6-8, he appears to be primed to start at left tackle for the Jayhawks.

Starters: Damon Martin - Damon got some late playing time at a starter at the end of last season. The redshirt junior played inside at guard, but the coaching staff has hinted at him playing outside, at right tackle.

Notes: Seniors Zach Fondal and Pat Lewandowski got some playing time last year at the tackle spots in what was a revolving door of players, and both will compete to start.

Defensive Line

Defensive End

Starters: Ben Goodman - Junior defensive end Goodman played the buck position last year, and had a solid season in regards to the Jayhawk defense. The coaching staff has indicated that he will be moved back to the defensive line at the end position this season.

Starters: Andrew Bolton - Bolton came in well regarded out of junior college, and redshirted in his first in Lawrence. He is expected to claim the other end spot opposite of Goodman and make his presence and impact felt this year.

Notes: The Jayhawks have a slew of JUCO defensive ends coming to Kansas this season, and hope at least one can make a big impact for the team. They include Kapil Fletcher, Damani Mosby, and Anthony Olobia.

Defensive Tackle

Starters: Keon Stowers - The senior defensive tackle was an important starter last year for the Jayhawks. He is regarded as a leader and elected captain for the team.

Starters: Tedarian Johnson - The Mississippi big man in his second and final year for Kansas figures to log many minutes for the Jayhawks up the middle.

Notes: The sophomore Tyler Holmes looks to increase his playing time at the defensive tackle position. The past season’s recruiting class loaded up on the defensive lineman, and added some interesting long term defensive tackle prospects in highschoolers D.J. Williams, Daniel Wise, and Lay’Trion Jones.

Linebacker

Starters: Ben Heeney - Widely regarded as the best player on the Jayhawks, the senior linebacker and player from high school powerhouse Hutchinson product wants to get to a bowl game before his illustrious college career comes to a close.

Starters: Jake Love - The junior Oklahoman is another tough linebacker for Kansas that forms a formidable tandem that makes the heart of the defense. He has a hard nose for tackling.

Starters: The last spot is a tough one to guess. For one, Kansas likes to run the buck position, essentially brining on a pass rushing specialist and pulling a linebacker. I think we will see less of this formation this season, and Courtney Arnick will start. The redshirt sophomore played quite a bit last year, and looked fast and dangerous.

Notes: The junior linebacker Schyler Miles is a capable backup and special teams player. Colton Goeas is a redshirt freshman who will look for playing time at one of the Jayhawks deeper and talented positions.

Buck

Starter: Michael Reynolds - He played the buck last year and lead the team in sacks. The senior is the Jayhawks best pass rusher and once again will look to him for production.

Notes: Victor Simmons is listed in the buck position, but Simmons has been more of a utility player for the Jayhawks. The senior has played linebacker and nickelback as well. Kellen Ash redshirted as a freshman last year and looks to make an impact. The Jayhawks top ranked recruit Kyron Watson may fit in this role as a true freshman.

Cornerback

Starters: Dexter McDonald - the senior started every game last season. The Rockhurst product has had a tumultuous colligate career, but is a big time player for the Jayhawks.

Starters: Kevin Short - forced to sit out last year for academic reasons, the Hazelwood Central corner has excellent size and was much sought after coming out of JUCO. He will have every opportunity to pileup playing time this season.

Starters: JaCorey Shepard - The Jayhawks most consistent corner last year, who also started every game last season, is being looked at to start at nickelback this season to accommodate Kevin Short. A former wide receiver for Kansas, the senior Shepard is a ball hawk.

Notes: Greg Allen has been in the system for two years, and the redshirt sophomore looks to be the first man off the bench. Ronnie Davis is a newcomer for the Jayhawks and could find playing time as well.

Safety

Starters: Isaiah Johnson - The 2013 Big 12 newcomer of the year made waves in his first season as a sophomore. The strong safety has good hands and led the team with five interceptions last season.

Starters: Cassius Sendish - The senior free safety has a good year coming from junior college last year. One of the better tacklers on the team, the safety spot is a strength for this team.

Notes: The primary backups will be redshirt sophomore Tevin Shaw, who has primarily played special teams, and Fish Smithson who is a newcomer JUCO player with three years of eligibility. Alex Matlock may get a look, but figures to be nothing more than depth.

Special Teams

Punter

Starter: Trevor Pardula - Pardula has this locked down, the senior was very good last season.

Kicker

Starter: John Duvac - Duvac will walk on this season, and should win the job. He is well regarded coming in to Kansas.

Notes: Michael Wyman held the job last year, but Kansas as a whole was weak in the kicking and field goal game.