The couple of dozen people who attended Kansas University’s football practice Wednesday afternoon couldn’t always see what was going on across the practice fields, but they had a pretty good idea.
“If you can’t see it,” KU senior linebacker Leo Etienne said, “you can hear it.”
Despite being relegated to the east sideline behind a line of yellow tape, the public and members of the media were able to sense a high level of intensity during the second of 15 spring practices.
KU coach Mark Mangino and his first-year staff continued to encourage and critique at a loud volume, and the players certainly were listening.
“They’re tough,” junior transfer quarterback Bill Whittemore said of the staff. “They know what they’re doing. They’re going to make sure we’re in our spots and know what we’re doing. That’s all you can ask from them.”
But Mangino isn’t lacking love in his tough-love approach to coaching, having even gone so far as to set up a players’ lounge outside the locker room.
“He’s trying to make it first-class for us,” Whittemore said. “If we work hard on the field, he’ll work off the field for us, getting us what we need.”
Not even cold, crisp conditions could discourage the Jayhawks during Wednesday’s 2-hour, 39-minute practice incidentally the exact same duration as Monday’s session.
“We don’t feel it,” senior wide receiver Harrison Hill said of the weather conditions. “It feels good to be out here, running around. It isn’t that cold so it feels good.”
KU adds lineman: The Jayhawks have improved their depth on the defensive line.
Roy Teng, a 6-foot-2, 292-pound defensive tackle from East Los Angeles Community College, has signed a national letter of intent with Kansas. He was a two-year letter winner and an all-conference selection.
“We think he fits our defensive system to a ‘T,'” Mangino said of Teng, who will join the Jayhawks next semester. “He’s kind of built low to the ground, but very powerful, plays with good pad level, really tough to double-team block which a lot of people like to do on those inside guys. We’re excited to have him, and that helps us on that defensive line where we could use some help.”
Mangino said Kansas also is investigating an offensive lineman as a potential recruit.
Whittemore well: KU’s newest quarterback, Whittemore, has been throwing the ball well, but still isn’t 100 percent healed after suffering a separated shoulder last fall, Mangino said.
Whittemore has been throwing about one-third as many passes as he’ll be expected to toss during practices this fall.
“He’s right in line with his rehabilitation,” Mangino said of the former Fort Scott Community College signal caller. “The trainers are really optimistic he will be 100 percent with no problem at all come August.”
Crowded QB competition: Mangino has a plethora of quarterbacks to choose from to start this fall including Whittemore, returning junior co-starter Zach Dyer, senior Jonas Weatherbie, sophomore Kevin Long and red-shirt freshman Brian Luke.
“We have several young guys competing that are sharing the repetitions,” Mangino said, “but I do want to add this, that we can’t share repetitions with eight guys for all of spring.”
Mangino said he hopes to have that list trimmed to three or four leading candidates following a closed scrimmage this weekend, and that the other players likely would be asked to make a position change.
“We cannot get our offense going and develop continuity repping all the youngsters we have at this point and time,” Mangino said, “so we’ll have to make some decisions following Saturday’s scrimmage.”
No timetable set for debut: Mangino said he’s met with representatives from NIKE as well as with Kansas associate athletic director Richard Konzem and licensing administrator Paul Vander Tuig about when to unveil the Jayhawks’ new uniforms.
“We’re trying to set a date of when we’re going to do that,” Mangino said. “I would like to be able to do that at the spring game, somehow unveil them. But I’m not sure the manufacturer can have them ready to do that.”
One possibility would be to display a computer-generated image of the new look on the MegaVision video board during the spring game April 26 at Memorial Stadium.
“We will do it well before the season,” Mangino said. “We’re not going to have one of those things where we run out on the field with new uniforms. That’s for Hollywood. We will give our fans plenty of time to see them.”
Glass half full: Mangino sounded like he’s making lemonade out of the lemons he’s been handed as far as the 2002 schedule.
Four of the Jayhawks’ first six games are on the road “Four of the last six are at home,” Mangino countered including a season-opening trip to Iowa State.
“I assure you that I’ve told our administration that’s not the way I would have done it,” Mangino said, “but that’s the way it is and that’s fine. I think there’s a lot of positives playing on the road against a conference team that has to play a game the week before us as well.
“I’m sure a great deal of their focus is going to be on their first game and not us. I think the fact that we have new systems on both sides of the ball and in the kicking game, that we can capitalize on that opportunity.”
Roster update: A few players were noticeably missing from the spring roster.
First and foremost, of course, was red-shirt freshman quarterback Mario Kinsey, who was dismissed from the team in December for violating athletic department policies. Two others no longer around were junior center Nick Smith and red-shirt freshman tight end Jason Farley.
“We’re not trying to wipe anybody out. We’re trying to get everybody to jump on board,” Mangino said. “Obviously when you set the bar high, some guys can’t meet the standard and they eliminate themselves.”
Two medical casualties no longer with the team were junior fullback Mitchell Scott (chronic knee problems) and junior tackle Jawad Pearson (thyroid condition).
Up coming: The Jayhawks will practice Friday and conduct a scrimmage on Saturday. Both will be closed to the public. KU’s third and final open practice will be Monday afternoon at the practice fields.
