New names, new numbers and all kinds of new faces stuffed behind helmets and face masks.
That was the scene just west of Hoglund Ballpark on Thursday, when the Kansas University football team dove into another season with the first practice of preseason camp.
The Jayhawks were in their old practice location — and will be there for the first couple of weeks at least — because the projected temperatures made it too hot to hang out on the turf at the practice fields and Memorial Stadium.
Regardless of where they were, it did not prevent first-year coach David Beaty from getting things done and moving through practice just as he did during the spring — with a lot of energy and next to no wasted time.
Here’s a quick look at what caught my eye from Day 1:
**• Quarterback is always the first position people want to talk** about and track when another season kicks off, so that was a big focus for me during today’s practice. One thing that jumped out right away was that there really is not that much difference in terms of build between Montell Cozart, Carter Stanley and Ryan Willis — at least not when they’re in uniform. Willis is definitely taller than the other two but they’re all pretty lean. One of the big points of emphasis during the portion of practice we saw today was getting the ball out quickly. OC Rob Likens kept yelling, “Get it off, get it off,” and the quarterbacks — which included juco transfer Deondre Ford — ripped quick, short passes to their targeted receivers.
**• Speaking of Likens,** he had a lot of bounce today and said one of the best soundbites I heard out there — “Get professional. Do everything perfect. Be a freak about details.” Good stuff.
**• After throwing drills, Likens worked with the receivers on blocking.** The entire group, which featured a bunch of newcomers, looked pretty physical and seemed to be into the drill. That may just be a Day 1 thing or perhaps this group really does like to block. During this drill, Likens kept his eye on another drill that WR coach Klint Kubiak was working and even threw in his opinion on that one, as well. “Watch the ball all the way in,” he yelled to a receiver 50 feet away.
**• A good chunk of the 20 minutes we got to watch was special teams stuff** and that gave me the chance to watch holder T.J. Millweard run a fire call and try to complete passes out of a busted extra point attempt. If you’ll recall, Millweard successfully converted one such play to tight end Trent Smiley during the 2014 season.
**• As for the special teams drills,** I noticed that Jordan Shelley-Smith was on the right side and Larry Mazyck was on the left during a couple of formations. Should be interesting to see if those are their permanent homes on offense, too.
**• We get Beaty after practice tonight** so be sure to check back with KUsports.com later and tomorrow for video and more reaction from Day 1.
