“First day strappin the pads on,” KU coach Turner Gill wrote on his Twitter page Friday afternoon. “Lets get some work done!”

With just four weeks remaining before the season opener against North Dakota State — 6 p.m. Sept. 4 at Memorial Stadium — the focus has shifted for the KU coaches and players.

No longer is this a team cautiously walking its way through the new way of doing things. Been there, done that. Now, every minute of every practice is spent with one eye on the season that lies ahead and the work that needs to be done to prepare for it.

This spring, Gill made it clear that the things he valued most were attitude, effort and fun. As the Jayhawks transition into the full swing of preseason camp, those values remain, but Gill’s expectations increase.

“We do expect more. There’s no doubt about that,” Gill said. “They understand how we go about our business and our practice formats and the expectations from each coach. They know the terminology, so there shouldn’t be too much hesitation. There will be some for the new guys, obviously, but the guys who have been here in the spring, we expect them to be further along on some things.”

That includes everything from fundamentals during basic drills to precise details of the offensive and defensive schemes the Jayhawks will run.

Gill said Wednesday that having fun with the college football experience would remain a priority. Need proof? Tuesday, the team made an outing to Dave and Buster’s arcade in Kansas City to clown around and further develop the bond between teammates. Gill said such things would continue — on and off the field — as long as his players continue to put in the work required of a football team hoping to compete in the Big 12.

“That’s all we ask these guys,” Gill said. “Just be better than you were the last time we saw you. If we can continue to do those types of things, then I think the University of Kansas will continue to be successful.”