As hard as it is to believe it’s already here, the Kansas University football program’s fall camp wrapped up Friday and the Jayhawks are now headed into full preparation mode for the 2013 season.
What that entails are two different weeks of preparation for Week 1, Sept. 7 vs. South Dakota at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.
The first week, Sunday through Friday, will be what KU coach Charlie Weis called “a dress rehearsal.” The Jayhawks will go through the entire week as if they were playing a game on Saturday. That way, the newcomers will get a feel for what it’s like and the veterans will get a quick refresher. The goal is that both will dial up their focus that little bit extra.
After that it will actually be game week. Most of the college football world opens next weekend, but the Jayhawks have an opening-week bye this year. Their other bye is in late September between the non-conference and Big 12 portions of their schedule, but, if you ask me, they got lucky having the first week off. It gives Weis and his staff just a little more time to get all of these new faces ready for what’s ahead.
With that in mind, I figured now was as good a time as any to throw up my best guess at the post-camp, two-deep depth chart for this year’s Jayhawks. I was out at practice whenever they allowed us to be this month, which proved to be a very helpful tool in predicting the depth chart. In addition to seeing the players live and up close, I also saw two full practices, which gave me a better look at who was competing where, who was playing hardest and how the reps were divided up.
I’m sure some of this is incorrect, but, based on what I’ve seen and been able to gather from talking with the players and coaches, here’s how I see things shaping up two weeks away from the season opener.
Weis will release the real version on Sept. 3, which, if how fast August flew by is any indication, will be here before we know it.
**- OFFENSE -**
**X (wr)**
Justin McCay
Josh Ford
**LT**
Aslam Sterling
Riley Spencer
**LG**
Ngalu Fusimalohi
Randall Dent
**C**
Pat Lewandwoski
Dylan Admire
**RG**
Mike Smithburg
Bryan Peters
**RT**
Zach Fondal
Brian Beckmann
**TE**
Jimmay Mundine
Trent Smiley
**H**
James Sims
Darrian Miller/Taylor Cox
**QB**
Jake Heaps
Michael Cummings
**F**
Tony Pierson
Brandon Bourbon
**Z (wr)**
Christian Matthews
Rodriguez Coleman
**- DEFENSE -**
**LC**
Kevin Short
JaCorey Shepherd
**NB**
Cassius Sendish
Victor Simmons
**LE/T**
Kevin Young
Ty McKinney
**N**
Keon Stowers
Marquel Combs
**RE/T**
Keba Agostinho
Jordan Tavai
**BUCK**
Ben Goodman
Michael Reynolds
**RC**
Dexter McDonald
Brandon Hollomon
**SS**
Isaiah Johnson
Alex Matlock
**MLB**
Ben Heeney
Schyler Miles
**WLB**
Samson Faifili
Jake Love
**FS**
Dexter Linton
Tevin Shaw
**- SPECIAL TEAMS -**
**KO**
Trevor Pardula
Eric Kahn
**PK**
Matthew Wyman
Michael Mesh
**P**
Trevor Pardula
Ron Doherty
**LS**
Reilly Jeffers
John Wirtel
**HOLD**
Blake Jablonski
Tre’ Parmalee
**KOR**
Brandon Bourbon
Taylor Cox
**PR**
Kevin Short
Tre’ Parmalee
Just a couple of quick notes explaining some of my thinking:
• Weis said on Friday that Combs was not yet a starter, that’s why I put him second team on the inside.
• I didn’t see a ton of kick return drills during the past few weeks and Weis said they’re still looking over things there, so those guesses may be way off.
• Sendish at nickel is the preferred position for him, but if they needed to I don’t think the staff would hesitate to slide him in at safety.
• Assistant DBs coach Scott Vestal told me recently that Brandon Hollomon was gonna play a lot and that he’s one of the top flat-out competitors on the roster.
• Cummings gets the nod over Cozart behind Heaps because we heard he had a solid camp and he has the experience edge. But Weis raved about Cozart during his press conference on Friday so he may still be in the mix in some way, shape or form.
• Even though I’ve got Faifili ahead of Love at Will LB, I think both will play a ton.
• So many of these positions have solid rotations in place, particularly on defense, which is good considering Dave Campo recently said that, when you’re facing offenses that play 90-plus snaps in a single game, you can’t just play two corners or two linebackers the whole game, you’ve gotta have depth. And it looks like KU has more of it now than at any point during the past three or four seasons.
