Through spring football I will be honest, I had concerns about the DL. The news about Dylan Brooks getting injured was rough because I would have had him penciled in as the starter. Then you look at who left from last year's team. Austin Booker was drafted in the NFL and graded out as the number one overall player on defense. He will be hard to replace. Then you lose Devin Phillips and Gage Keys. They were among the snap leaders on the interior and Phillips was the best on the interior. He was a load and took up double teams.
But as time went on through the late spring and summer, and after talking with people I feel better about the overall d-line. Sure, there are questions and concerns but not as many as I had.
Defensive Tackle
I recently talked about the rotation and how Jim Panagos liked to play multiple DT. And that shouldn't be a problem because there are enough good players across the board to go 5-6 deep. I think the player who doesn't get talked about enough is D.J. Withers. Last season he played more snaps than any DT. He signed with KU as a defensive end and added weight and adjusted to the transition.
When you mix in Caleb Taylor and Tommy Dunn those are three players who have played enough snaps at the Big 12 level. I think it starts with those three. After that I look for Javier Derritt, Blake Herold, Kenean Caldwell and Marcus Calvin to round out the group. Of those players I think the edge goes to Derritt as the one most likely to be in the two-deep, but that doesn't matter as much due to how they rotate.
Defensive End
Borland plays two defensive ends and they aren't always labeled strongside and weakside. But they do try to get a quicker, pass rush type on the field. The surprise in this group could be Cole Petrus. I heard this summer he and Dean Miller ended up running equal amounts with the number one unit in spring. But that was three months ago. Since then, they have added Bai Jobe, Dakyus Brinkley is healthy and DJ Warner joined the team in June.
I'm interested in two things. Who starts fall camp as number one and two, and who ends camp at one and two. I think there will be a lot of movement.
Judging how KU has done things in the past I can see Miller and Petrus starting off as the #1 and #2 DE. The staff seems to give the veterans a nod early. And as reps continue, I expect a lot of jockeying. I think the talent is with the young players Jobe, Brinkley and Warner. Brinkley is coming off an injury that improved in the spring and he is ready to go. Jobe is raw but has talent. Warner might be the fastest off the edge, but he needs time to develop and learn the system. He just got on campus and is around 220-225 pounds.
On the other side Jereme Robinson will be the starter. And Dylan Wudke will be behind him. Ron McGee is healthy and I have been told he has some talent. He could help especially when KU goes to third and long because at 275 pounds he could give you more athleticism inside in their pass rush package.
Final Thoughts
I like how the d-line is shaping up, just need a couple players to step up and get to the QB. The bodies and talent are there, some of it just needs to be developed. The best pass rusher may be Robinson on the strong side. I could see some situations where Robinson could move in certain situations to one end and Wudke or McGee on the other.
I feel much better than I did in April. There is depth and enough experience the coaches will have to develop some pass-rushers but the ability is there. The thing I am watching for fall camp is who emerges on the weakside.
But as time went on through the late spring and summer, and after talking with people I feel better about the overall d-line. Sure, there are questions and concerns but not as many as I had.
Defensive Tackle
I recently talked about the rotation and how Jim Panagos liked to play multiple DT. And that shouldn't be a problem because there are enough good players across the board to go 5-6 deep. I think the player who doesn't get talked about enough is D.J. Withers. Last season he played more snaps than any DT. He signed with KU as a defensive end and added weight and adjusted to the transition.
When you mix in Caleb Taylor and Tommy Dunn those are three players who have played enough snaps at the Big 12 level. I think it starts with those three. After that I look for Javier Derritt, Blake Herold, Kenean Caldwell and Marcus Calvin to round out the group. Of those players I think the edge goes to Derritt as the one most likely to be in the two-deep, but that doesn't matter as much due to how they rotate.
Defensive End
Borland plays two defensive ends and they aren't always labeled strongside and weakside. But they do try to get a quicker, pass rush type on the field. The surprise in this group could be Cole Petrus. I heard this summer he and Dean Miller ended up running equal amounts with the number one unit in spring. But that was three months ago. Since then, they have added Bai Jobe, Dakyus Brinkley is healthy and DJ Warner joined the team in June.
I'm interested in two things. Who starts fall camp as number one and two, and who ends camp at one and two. I think there will be a lot of movement.
Judging how KU has done things in the past I can see Miller and Petrus starting off as the #1 and #2 DE. The staff seems to give the veterans a nod early. And as reps continue, I expect a lot of jockeying. I think the talent is with the young players Jobe, Brinkley and Warner. Brinkley is coming off an injury that improved in the spring and he is ready to go. Jobe is raw but has talent. Warner might be the fastest off the edge, but he needs time to develop and learn the system. He just got on campus and is around 220-225 pounds.
On the other side Jereme Robinson will be the starter. And Dylan Wudke will be behind him. Ron McGee is healthy and I have been told he has some talent. He could help especially when KU goes to third and long because at 275 pounds he could give you more athleticism inside in their pass rush package.
Final Thoughts
I like how the d-line is shaping up, just need a couple players to step up and get to the QB. The bodies and talent are there, some of it just needs to be developed. The best pass rusher may be Robinson on the strong side. I could see some situations where Robinson could move in certain situations to one end and Wudke or McGee on the other.
I feel much better than I did in April. There is depth and enough experience the coaches will have to develop some pass-rushers but the ability is there. The thing I am watching for fall camp is who emerges on the weakside.
