Good for a freshman. But not good enough, Barmann said.

“I want to work on everything because, let’s face it, I was 0-3 as a starter,” Barmann said after a recent spring practice. “I didn’t really do anything well enough to consider myself a good starter in the Big 12. I want to keep progressing, keep working on all phases of the game and keep getting better.”

The rookie quarterback impressed many — including KU coach Mark Mangino — with his poise and ability while filling in for injured starter Bill Whittemore, but Barmann knows he’ll have to do better to win Whittemore’s old job.

Barmann was supposed to take a red-shirt season in 2003, but Whittemore’s injured collarbone and the ineffectiveness of his backups forced Mangino to put Barmann on the field a year early. He made his debut in the ninth week of the season at Texas A&M.

The crowd of 68,487 at Kyle Field was a big departure for the Weston, Mo., product.

“My high school games, other than the playoffs, the most we had was 300 or 400,” said Barmann, whose senior class at West Platte High had 52 members.

Barmann showed no freshman jitters while completing 25 of 37 passes for 294 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another TD in a 45-33 loss.

He passed for another 204 yards a week later in a 24-3 home loss to No. 19 Nebraska before rolling an ankle a week later at Oklahoma State.

Barmann made his share of freshman mistakes, including three interceptions against the Cornhuskers.

“When you’re on the field, who cares if you’re a freshman?” he said. “It doesn’t matter — freshman, senior. If you’re out there playing, you better be as good as the next guy, or you don’t deserve to be out there.”

Barmann wasn’t as good as Whittemore, who returned for the season finale and led KU to a 36-7 victory over Iowa State that made KU bowl eligible and gave the underclassman another month of invaluable practice time.

“That was like another spring ball,” Barmann said.

The Jayhawks are halfway through spring drills now, and Barmann is battling for the starting job with City College of San Francisco transfer Jason Swanson.

“Adam knows there are other guys in the program,” said Mangino, who hasn’t released a depth chart yet this spring. “No matter what position you play, you have to earn your way. We hand nothing to any player.”

Barmann, 6-foot-4, bulked up from 204 pounds to 219 during the offseason and has much higher expectations for himself as a sophomore.

“I feel so much more comfortable,” Barmann said. “It’s leaps and bounds from last year.”

The quarterback’s improvement hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“I can definitely tell he’s a lot more comfortable,” said sophomore receiver Charles Gordon. “He’s a lot smarter and knows the system well. He’s definitely getting better.”

Barmann was taking snaps with the first-team offense in KU’s most recent open practice on Monday, but Mangino said none of the quarterbacks had taken a clear-cut lead in the battle to replace Whittemore.

“Bill was our leader last year,” Barmann said. “He brought so many intangibles to the team. Those are big shoes to fill. I’m just trying to come in and take over where he left off. I know it’s a difficult challenge, but it’s what I’m working for.”