Monday marked the first day in full pads for the Kansas University football team and you know what that means — time to get more physical.
Although most of what we saw during the opening portion of practice was limited to position drills, most of the players hit a little harder in the pads.
This was particularly true with the tight ends, who worked non-stop on blocking techniques, while tight ends coach **Jeff Blasko** turned up the tempo nearby.
A lot has been made about how KU’s deep group of tight ends could factor into the passing game this year, but I gotta tell ya, seeing these drills today reminded me just how much of a weapon these guys could be as blockers.
**Mike Ragone** looked great, but **Jimmay Mundine** held his own and newcomers **Charles Brooks** and **Jordan Smith** also looked very physical. Obviously, this is great news for the likes of **Tony Pierson, Brandon Bourbon, Taylor Cox** and **James Sims**, as well as quarterback **Dayne Crist,** of course.
Here’s a quick look at the rest of Monday’s practice:
• A small pack of referees showed up to Monday’s action, most of them there to get in a little work of their own. While his team was stretching, KU coach **Charlie Weis** huddled with the refs to talk about the plan for the day. KU officials told me that the Jayhawks do not change their practice routine when the refs show up, but they do use them. Any time there are live drills where it’s 11-on-11, the refs will jump in and officiate as if it were a game-type situation.
• Today’s interviews were with the defensive line, so, naturally, that’s where my eyes wandered during practice. We’ve already talked about the physical make-up of guys like **Keba Agostinho, John Williams, Josh Williams, Keon Stowers** and others, but one thing that stood out today was how all of that depth on the D-Line has changed how hard these guys practice. Because there are plenty of reps to go around, the guys who are in the drills go all-out and then rush back to the back of the line. D-Line coach **Buddy Wyatt** said earlier Monday that Stowers was as hard a working player as he had ever coached and it shows in practice.
• Speaking of the D-Line, there are a couple of real leaders on this unit, as co-captain **Toben Opurum** and fifth-year transfer Josh Williams appear to be the guys that lead the charge most days. Both are very vocal throughout practice, and Wyatt said he thought that Williams’ vocal nature had inspired Opurum to become a better vocal leader, as well.
• Quick reminder: Two-a-days begin tomorrow, when the Jayhawks will practice once in the mid-morning and again in the early evening.
• Finally, today’s song dedicated to Coach Weis: Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” No word on whether that was a subtle hint to the players or not.
