D-Lineman Andrew Bolton no longer with KU Football

By Matt Tait     Jul 9, 2015

Nick Krug
Kansas University defensive lineman Andrew Bolton stretches during practice on Friday, Aug. 9, 2013, at the Jayhawks’ fall camp. Bolton, a juco newcomer, has star potential once he knocks off some rust, according to his coach on the KU defensive line, Buddy Wyatt.

A Kansas University football spokesperson confirmed to the Journal-World on Thursdsay that senior defensive lineman Andrew Bolton was no longer with the team.

Bolton, a former junior-college transfer who sat out in 2013 and played in 11 games a season ago, was projected to play a big role for KU’s defensive line this season. As one of the few returning D-Linemen with game experience, Bolton’s 6-foot-3, 293-pound frame would have served the Jayhawks’ well on the interior, where they will be thin after losing most of their beef from 2014 to graduation.

Injured from the outset of his KU career, Bolton never really materialized into the difference-maker many thought he would be coming out of Hinds Community College. Ranked by Rivals.com as a three-star prospect, Bolton chose Kansas over offers from Iowa, LSU and Mississippi State.

He spent much of his first year in Lawrence feeling homesick, and not being able to play while nursing an injury did not help matters.

In 2014, he finished with 16 tackles, including 1.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, and appeared to get stronger as the season progressed.

Bolton’s departure leaves the Jayhawks with unproven returners Kapil Fletcher (6-3, 271), Tyler Holmes (6-3, 273), D.J. Williams (6-5, 289) and Daniel Wise (6-3, 271) at defensive tackle. The most recent recruiting class also included a D-Tackle, as Jacky Dezir, 6-1, 286, reported in time for spring drills.

Senior defensive end T.J. Semke, though undersized at 6-2, 245, also played inside some in KU’s previous defensive scheme.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.