We’ve reached the Top 5 of this year’s Most Crucial Jayhawks list and it’s time to get to some of the heaviest hitters on this year’s team.
No. 5 is a name that many have heard but not everyone is incredibly familiar with. But we expect that to change in 2016, when Daniel Wise will look to build on a strong red-shirt freshman season and transform himself from a nice, up-and-coming player into an absolute monster with which opposing offensive lines are going to have to deal with in the heart of the trenches.
Hailing from Hebron High in Lewisville, Texas, Wise earned honorable mention freshman All-American honors during the 2015 season and is looking for similar accolades in 2016.
**Reminder:** This is not a list of the 25 best players on this year’s team. That would be much easier to pinpoint and, although still key, would not exactly demonstrate the full value that each player has in regard to the 2016 season.
This is a list of the 25 players who need to have strong seasons in order for the Jayhawks to have a chance to compete.
Tom Keegan and I came up with the list by each making our own list of 25 and then combining the results. We did the same thing for the last two years, but the amount of fresh faces made this list much tougher to put together.
Track the list every weekday at KUsports.com, where we’ll unveil the list one-by-one in reverse order. And, in case you miss some, be sure to check the links at the bottom of each entry for an up-to-date look at the list of 25.
5. Daniel Wise, Soph. Defensive Tackle
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There’s no denying how huge the gap has been between the defensive linemen that Kansas has played in recent years and the talent at that position throughout the rest of the Big 12 Conference.
That’s no knock on the D-Linemen who have suited up for the Jayhawks. They’ve done their best, often in the face of tremendous adversity or while severely overmatched.
But Daniel Wise is trying to change all of that. By himself, of course, Wise is just one 290-pound man who might be able to make a few plays here and there but won’t really tip the balance of power. That’s why Wise, who enjoyed a modest breakout season in 2015, has made it a priority to push and lean on and inspire others around him.
D.J. Williams, Josh Ehambe, newcomers DeeIsaac Davis and Isi Holani all have encountered a different Daniel Wise than the one who arrived on campus before the 2014 season. This version, which enjoyed somewhat of a breakthrough season in 2015 — as measured in terms of confidence and comfort — is more of an all-business type of player who quickly is becoming one of the more consistent workers and play makers on the KU defense.
Big and getting bigger, tough and getting tougher — mentally and physically — and smart and getting smarter, Wise appears to have hit that moment in his career when he understands exactly what it takes for him to play at a high level and he’s going relentlessly after that goal day in and day out.
He played in all 12 games a season ago and started seven of them. He finished with 26 tackles, 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss. With a terrific offseason under his belt and all the confidence in the world after a productive and perpetually improving red-shirt freshman season, it’s easy to see Wise improving on all of those numbers in 2016, when he should be a starter from Day 1 and one of the most critical parts of KU’s defensive line throughout the season.
**Top 25 Most Crucial Jayhawks of 2016:**
No. 16 – OL Jordan Shelley-Smith
