Kansas Jayhawk Football Roster Breakdown: Cornerback

The Kansas defensive secondary has been shredded over the last two seasons under Turner Gill. Some of that might rest on a the shoulders of the front seven who rarely provided quarterback pressure, but it's impossible to deflect all the blame from the secondary unit.

The good news is that Kansas has some experience at the position. The bad news is that it is the same personnel that we've had during these past two seasons. That means Kansas will need players to step up and play at a different level if there is going to be improvement. That is certainly something that could happen, but this definitely isn't a position that can be viewed as a definite strongsuit heading into the season.

• Greg Brown - Brown actually started to show some positive development over the last two years and he has the footwork and speed to be a solid player at this position. He is probably the one player definitively locked into a starting role and he'll be looked to for leadership in the secondary.
  

• Tyler Patmon - Patmon started as a freshman and has been a serviceable third corner for the last two years. Now he'll need to fill a larger role and there has been some concern as far as his ability to accomplish that. Heading into camp Patmon was listed as the starter and given the options at the position it seems likely that he will still hold that spot, but it does speak to the need for competition at this spot going forward.
  
• Corrigan Powell - Powell is a senior and a player who started briefly under Mangino before falling so far into the doghouse that he couldn't pull himself out after a coaching change. He's an interesting player because at one point he put up enough of a fight to start as a true freshman. Will another regime change mean an opportunity for Powell or is his career going to fizzle out in his last year.
  
• Nasir Moore - Moore is a JUCO transfer with that ever popular 'potential' term attached to his name. Dave Campo has been fairly open about his need to develop quite a bit before contributing so it's not looking as though he'll be an instant impact type player but you never know what can happen if an opportunity presents itself. Given the depth at the position, that opportunity could come quickly.
  
• Dexter Linton - Linton was the teammate of Christian Matthews and he honestly seemed like the player that most likely would find his way onto the field early between the two. That didn't happen, he's been at safety and now corner. He's now a junior with decent size so maybe he'll find a way to work himself onto the field.
• Tyree Williams - Just a freshman, Williams has been a player that we've heard very little about during camp. He has good size and was believed to be a good prospect for the future in the defensive secondary. One would hope he can take a redshirt.
  
• Greg Allen - Allen is the other scholarship freshman and he could be the one that actually plays at corner. He's drawn praise from the coaches as well as other players and at 5'11" 205 he seems to have decent size with good athleticism. I would not be surprised at all if Allen is pushing Patmon this year.
• Jacorey Shepherd - Hard to say if this is a position experiment that will stick or not but Shepherd was working with the corners last week and Dave Campo was complimentary of his potential. We'll see where #89 ends up this season.
• Piers Christian - Walk on from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.