Tuesday was the first day of preseason camp when the Jayhawks got to go in full pads and although that didn’t mean much during the special teams and stretching drills, you definitely could tell when the coaches blew the horn for the team portion of practice.
Pads popped, guys hit with a little extra and the intensity was turned up a notch. That’s typically how it goes on the first day of pads every year but no matter how many times you’ve seen it, it’s always pretty cool to watch.
Per usual, the media only got the first 20 minutes of practice on Tuesday so the time we spent watching the team utilize those sets of full pads was limited, but it was still cool nonetheless.
Here’s a quick look at what else caught my eye at Tuesday’s practice, the fifth of preseason camp 2015:
**• As the Jayhawks were going through pre-practice stuff** and getting in some stretching, one of the GAs was walking around near the O-Linemen yelling one of the funniest things I’ve heard on a football field in a while: “The best part of breakfast ain’t the bacon, it’s the juice, baby!” I’m guessing that was intended to fire the team up and get the juice flowing. It definitely got the laughs going.
**• There was a pretty funny moment between head coach David Beaty and the O-Linemen** that our own Benton Smith already documented and posted to Twitter, as you can see in the attached photo. Right before that exchange, Beaty was talking to his offensive linemen about how they were going to be some of the best running linemen in the country. Earlier in the day, he discussed how he was just fine with taking guys a little lighter at that position because he wants them to be able to run and play at a tempo that can help the offense go lightning fast.
**• A lot was made last season about interim head coach Clint Bowen jumping in and running and stretching with the team at some of the practices.** Beaty (and several members of his staff, including Bowen) does the same thing. It’s something that really never gets old to see, too. There’s just something cool about coaches who are willing to jump in there and do the same things they’re asking the young men on their team to do.
**• Every time I see Josh Ehambe I think to myself, “Damn, that dude is a monster.”** It happened again at Tuesday’s practice. Ehambe, the red-shirt freshman linebacker from Arlington, Texas, who goes 6-foot-3, 236 pounds on the roster, looks much bigger than that in person and may very well be. Bowen talked earlier Tuesday about Ehambe switching down to defensive end because he just keeps growing and may be better suited to play up front. It was clear from his comments that Bowen likes Ehambe, both as a player and a person, and believes he’ll have an impact for the Jayhawks at some point during his career.
**• By now, listening to these coaches hoot and holler** out there is pretty normal but it’s always entertaining. Tuesday, special teams coodinator Gary Hyman went nuts as they neared the end of a special teams drill, saying, “Last rep for everyone. I want this one to be your best.” It’s not just screaming for the sake of screaming. There’s always a purpose. And the players almost always respond. That’s good coaching. During the team portion of the practice, when the offense went live against the defense, there were at least three or four coaches screaming instructions and creating a chaotic environment at almost all times but the players never got rattled and were always able to lock into the voice they were supposed to hear and do their jobs. I think the coaches love creating this type of chaos because it puts the players through a couple of different tests at the same time.
**• Finally, a quick look at how the first- and second-string offensive and defensive lines shaped up** during Tuesday’s practice. No real surprises, but it’s worth noting so we can track any changes.
**1st OL -** LT Jordan Shelley-Smith, LG Bryan Peters, C Keyon Haughton, RG D’Andre Banks, RT Larry Mazyck.
**2nd OL -** Clyde McCaulley, LG Jacob Bragg, C Joe Gibson, RG Will Smith, RT Jayson Rhodes.
**1st DL -** DE Ben Goodman, DT Kapil Fletcher, DT Daniel Wise, DE Damani Mosby.
**2nd DL -** DE T.J. Semke, DT D.J. Williams, DT Jacky Dezir, DE Anthony Olobia.
**• More fun tomorrow.** Be sure to check out all of our football coverage from camp, including video and stories from Benton Smith, columns from Tom Keegan and more from me right here at KUsports.com.
***TUESDAY LINKS:***
http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2015/aug/11/36348/
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