The Jayhawks hit the field Tuesday afternoon for their fourteenth practice of 2016. Second-year head coach David Beaty opened Memorial Stadium to the public, giving students, fans, and media members one last look at his squad before the end of Spring Practice.
A few observations:
A few observations:
- I spent some time watching Michael Slater as he worked with the defensive line. Like has been said here on several occasions, Coach Slater is a no-nonsense type, and he was pushing his guys today. There were several times where he made players go back and repeat a drill, as their hand placement wasn't exactly as he wanted it to be. He's drilling his guys to be precise with their execution, and they seem to be responding well to his efforts. His group looks good.
- Speaking of the defensive line, DJ Williams has come a long way. A guy that was a little too heavy last season, he's worked hard and leaned out his frame. He's an imposing, athletic big man at the DT spot. On the hoof, he definitely looks the part of a Big 12 tackle. He appears to be in the 295 to 298-pound range, and was surprisingly quick in pass rush drills. Maybe more impressive was listening to him talk with Slater about technique and his responsibilities, as he seems like things are really starting to click.
- The offensive line had a good showing in pass rush against the defensive line. In particular, Joe Gibson and DJ Williams had some battles today. Gibson is a big, physical guy that you can tell has worked hard in the weight room this offseason. He and Jacob Bragg both had good days on the inside, along with Louisburg product Mesa Ribordy. Also saw some good things from Aaron Garza, who worked some at right tackle today.
- Jordan Shelley-Smith was working with one of his teammates on footwork and hand placement while his linemates were going through one-on-ones. He's added some muscle since last season, and looks like he's ready to go.
- After a disappointing showing in Saturday's Spring Game, Montell Cozart looked much better throwing the football today. He took the news of Brandon Bourbon's passing especially hard, and was one of the guys that didn't sleep much Friday night. The veteran QB was much more in the flow of things this afternoon.
- After hearing Clint Bowen talk about the improvement he's seen in Joe Dineen, I paid close attention to him as he went through drills with linebackers coach Todd Bradford. He and Marcquis Roberts are clearly the leaders of the group, and Dineen moves through individual work with a purpose. He's not the most vocal guy, but he sets an example with how he goes about his business. His brother, Free State LB Jay Dineen, was watching his older brother from the sidelines, just a day after picking up an offer from KU.
- During team period, the KU offense worked against a scout team made up mostly of backup offensive players. They weren't going full-speed, but were clearly focused more on executing than on speed. Except for Quiv Gonzalez, who always looks like he's going full-speed. The Texas A&M transfer got the ball on the jet sweep, and he caught a few screen passes as well. Beaty and Likens are clearly planning to put the ball in their explosive receiver's hands however they can.
