And he cited second-year player Daniel Wise, a red-shirt freshman D-tackle from Lewisville, Texas, as one of the biggest reasons for that.

According to Goodman, Wise is the funniest dude on the team. The senior defensive end did not provide any specific examples of Wise’s comedic nature, choosing instead to throw around words like “hilarious” and “jokester.”

Thanks to his play during the past couple of games, during which KU coach David Beaty said Wise made himself known on the game film — “I talk to those guys all the time, I have to feel you when I watch that video,” Beaty said — the 6-foot-3, 271-pound defensive tackle has started drawing recognition for something more than his stand-up routines.

“He’s finally learning that when it’s time to work, it’s time to turn it on and stop being Jay Leno,” Goodman said.

After failing to record a statistic in KU’s 66-7 loss to Baylor, Wise delivered career days in the two games that followed. He finished with five tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a pass break-up, a quarterback hurry and a blocked extra point in KU’s loss to Texas Tech. And he followed that up with a six-tackle, one-sack effort last week at Oklahoma State.

During both outings, Wise’s increased effort and ramped-up intensity were notable during live action.

“He was a take-a-few-plays-off kind of guy for a while,” defensive coordinator Clint Bowen said of Wise, who will look to keep his roll going at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, when KU plays host to No. 14 Oklahoma at Memorial Stadium. “But he’s starting to play a lot more consistent and using his technique better. We film everything, so it’s on film, and you get to show ’em, and if a guy’s competitive and has some pride, I think he eventually starts to understand the level that you have to play at.”

A three-star prospect out of Hebron High, Wise came to Kansas prior to the 2014 season ranked as the 77th-best defensive tackle in his class. After red-shirting the 2014 season, Wise found himself faced with an opportunity that most first-year players simply do not get. Kansas entered preseason camp with next to no depth and very little experience at Wise’s position, and that opened the door for him to stand out during August. Beaty and company repeatedly called his name when asked to identify the guys who looked good, and Wise opened the season atop the Jayhawks’ depth chart at defensive tackle.

In his first college game, the long, athletic lineman finished with five tackles and a sack. His numbers dipped and then leveled off from there until jumping back up during the past two weeks.

“I can see him growing,” Beaty said of Wise. “You start to (see) him on the tape a little bit more. As he grows up and matures, he’s going to continue to become a really good player for us along the way.”

Goodman agreed and said Wise’s improved play was a matter of personal pride for him given that he was assigned as Wise’s “big brother” when he first arrived on campus.

“He’s building confidence,” Goodman said. “And I told him the other day, ‘If you keep playing how you’re playing, you could easily be all-conference as a defensive tackle as a freshman.’ That would be really big for him and for the program.”