What caught my eye at Day 7 of KU football’s fall camp

By Matt Tait     Aug 14, 2013

Jake Love (left) and Ben Goodman run through a footwork drill during Wednesday's KU football practice.

It was another incredible weather day at KU football practice Wednesday afternoon. And I gotta tell ya, these odd August days have been noted by the KU football staff.

While at practice, I talked with head trainer **Murphy Grant** about whether or not he was loving the cooler weather and not having to worry about heat exhaustion like they do every other August. Grant said he thought the good-weather days were great but added that he would not mind if it got just a little hotter so these guys could test their bodies and conditioning in real heat just in case Sept. 7 rolls around and it’s a scorcher.

Makes sense to me. And it’s certainly cool to hear that the training staff is thinking about things like that. Grant said they’re still focused on proper hydration and all of those things just as if they were going through a normal August. But there’s no better test for seeing how the body reacts to heat than being out in it.

Murphy’s one of best out there and he and his staff take great care of these guys.

Moving on, here are a few other things that caught my eye on Wednesday:

KU O-Lineman Pearce Slater, all 6-foot-8, 340 pounds of him, in full pads at Wednesday's practice.

• Today was the first day for **Pearce Slater** to don full pads. He was big before but he looks like an absolute mountain all dressed up. If his stamina and conditioning can get to where the coaches want them to be, he’ll help in a big way right away. Heck, even if they can’t, he might help anyway. The guy’s a load.

• I was particularly tuned in to **Ben Goodman** today at practice, largely because the defensive linemen we talked to this morning said he had looked sharp in camp. In fact, **Keon Stowers** went as far as to say he didn’t think there was any drop off from what **Chris Martin** gave the defense this spring to what Goodman’s giving the D in camp. Stowers is a straight shooter so that should be considered really good news. Goodman works some with the linebacker and some with the D-Line. Today he was with the linebackers and he more than held his own athletically. The guy is in great shape and he looks incredibly athletic. I think you should toss him onto the pile of guys you’re excited about this fall if he’s not already there.

• Minor note: **Darius Willis** is now wearing No. 52 instead of No. 2. We’ll have to ask him about the change next time we get to talk to him. I still always think of **Steven Johnson** when I see 52 in a KU uniform. And, no, it’s not because Johnson plays for the Denver Broncos these days, although that doesn’t hurt.

• While watching the LBs I caught my first real glimpse of **Courtney Arnick**. Don’t count this guy out. He’s got great feet and can really change direction. Another guy who stood out today was **Victor Simmons**. I think he’s having a solid camp and KU coach **Charlie Weis** was not overstating it when he said Simmons looked like a man among boys, physically, at linebacker. Watching him move out there, he actually reminds me of a bigger **Bradley McDougald**. That should come as no surprise, though, since he played quarterback at Olathe North in high school.

Another two-a-days session awaits tomorrow.

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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.