A few quick thoughts from today’s news conference with KU football coach Charlie Weis and a handful of offensive assistant coaches.
The Jayhawks returned to practice for Day No. 5 on Sunday night and are out there for Day No. 6 this afternoon.
We did learn today that we’ll get an opportunity to watch practice on April 5, so between that and the spring game on April 12, we’ll soon get a lot of live, visual action to go along with what we’re hearing.
For now, though, another installment of “What Caught My Ear.”
**• Although there remains a long way to go, it seems like the quarterback battle is becoming clear.** Weis did not go into detail about who was doing what, but he did say the separation at the position has been easy to spot. The guess here, as it has been all along, is that Jake Heaps, T.J. Millweard and Montell Cozart, in that order, have established themselves as the main contenders in the race.
**• Speaking of the offense,** I thought it was interesting that Weis pointed out that he is doing his best to stay out of the way during practice and is letting the offense be put in by the offensive coaches. That’s not to say he doesn’t have input. But his input comes before or after practice, not during. What’s more, he said he has spent the better part of his time during practices watching the areas of greatest concern, specifically the offensive line, the wide receivers and the defensive line.
**• As is the case with the QB battle, there’s a long way to go and a lot of competition still to be had at the RB spot,** but Weis said senior Brandon Bourbon has done a nice job of transitioning back into a full-time running back role. Bourbon spent much of last season playing the F position, which primarily was used in the passing game, but he entered the spring as the No. 1 running back on the depth chart and appears to be doing well there.
**• Speaking of depth charts,** we haven’t receive one yet, but Weis said the players are well aware of where they stand.
• Quickly, a few notes about specific players:
— Weis said sophomore defensive back **Greg Allen** has been one of the more pleasant surprises of the spring. He’s done well behind Kevin Short at nickel back, so well, in fact, that Weis said he would feel comfortable moving Short to cornerback if the need came up.
— Senior wide receiver **Justin McCay** is working at the No. 2 spot behind junior Rodriguez Coleman, whom Weis said has been one of the best performers on the offense all spring. A big thing for McCay is learning that he and Coleman are different players and will be asked to do slightly different things. Weis credits wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau for doing a solid job of helping McCay understand that.
— Senior wide receiver **Tony Pierson** has taken his first couple of hits this spring in live action and, evidently, responded well. Weis reiterated that he was not going to be careless with Pierson in the spring and that he would have him go through a lot of days with the no-contact rule. But he also said that Pierson getting that first big hit out of the way was good for his mindset and should help him reach a full recovery from his concussion issues much sooner.
