Just got back from the KU football team’s practice on campus. Here are some of the notes I took down.
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• First, let’s start with the depth chart from what I saw.
First-team offense
Left tackle — Tanner Hawkinson
Left guard — Carl Wilson
Center — Jeremiah Hatch
Right guard — Sal Capra
Right tackle — Jeff Spikes
Tight end — Tim Biere
Wide Receiver — Dezmon Briscoe
Wide Receiver — Kerry Meier
Wide Receiver — Johnathan Wilson
Running back — Jake Sharp
Quarterback — Todd Reesing
Some notes about the offensive depth chart
• Trevor Marrongelli started at right guard with the 1s at the start of practice. Sal Capra received most of the first-team snaps after that. I’d consider that an ongoing competition.
• Brad Thorson also was in the mix with the 1s, getting quite a few reps at center.
• Tertavian Ingram started with the 1s at the beginning of practice in place of Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe, however, spent most of the rest of practice with the first team. It looks like coaches are still trying to send a little bit of a message to Briscoe.
• Rell Lewis looks to be the back-up running back … for now. Toben Opurum also received quite a few carries with the first and second units. Daniel Porter seems to be catching up, and DeShaun Sands looks to be behind the other three.
First-team defense
Left end — Jeff Wheeler
Defensive tackle — Duane Zlatnik
Defensive tackle — Richard Johnson, Jr.
Right end — Jake Laptad
Linebacker — Angus Quigley
Linebacker — Drew Dudley
Defensive back — Daymond Patterson
Defensive back — Chris Harris
Defensive back — Anthony Davis
Safety — Darrell Stuckey
Safety — Phillip Strozier
Some notes about the defensive depth chart
• Drew Dudley, Chris Harris and Anthony Davis were among the surprises on the first unit. I was especially impressed by Davis, who had a diving pass-breakup and also a big hit on Tim Biere that prevented a reception.
• Justin Thornton is with the second-team defense. I think it’s too early to tell whether this is a demotion or a motivational tactic. Remember, Thornton was suspended from the team at the end of last year and missed the Insight Bowl.
• Quintin Woods was working with the second unit.
• Perhaps the biggest news of the day, Darius Parish was not working with the defense. He has switched over to offensive line and was playing right tackle, mostly with the second-team. Typically, KU’s coaches have switched players from offense to defense (Quigley, Patterson, etc.), but this move is interesting because it’s the opposite. Parish had eight tackles last year, and in high school was rated the 58th-best defensive tackle prospect by Rivals.com.
Other notes/stories
• At the start of practice, Jacob Branstetter was put under pressure for a “game-winning field goal.” Teammates yelled and screamed and waved their arms before the junior’s field-goal try.
Branstetter calmly knocked through a 46-yard attempt (with distance to spare), receiving congratulations from his teammates afterwards. The Jayhawks look to be set in the kicking department, an area that can’t be underrated.
• I honestly don’t remember the last time I saw this: I was watching a drill, and Kerry Meier dropped an easy catch. It was funny how most of the media members did double-takes, as it’s just something we’re not used to seeing. Meier did 10 pushups for his miscue.
He also was working with the red jersey and was the backup quarterback in drills, meaning he’s not a full-time receiver just yet.
• On the kickoff return team, both Stuckey and Briscoe were back deep to receive kicks with the first unit.
• I was able to see KU coach Mark Mangino in a teaching moment during an offensive-line drill right in front of me.
Tanner Hawkinson was involved in the drill, and after the snap, he took a half-step back before driving into the defender.
Mangino immediately went up to Hawkinson to correct the mistake, telling him that if you were in a race at a track meet, you wouldn’t want your first step at the starting line to be backwards. Instead, you would want to take a step forward. The coach finished his teaching with a pat on Hawkinson’s backside.
Be sure to check back to KUsports.com later today for full coverage of KU’s media day.
