by With spring games now in full swing, college football teams across the country are giving coaches and fanbases a small preview of what’s in store for their respective program ahead of the 2024 season.
Of course, the beauty of spring ball is that it allows new up-and-coming talent to emerge and fight for a starting spot ahead of the fall, while also putting players in real-game scenarios. With that being said, today I will turn to the Big 12 and give my biggest takeaways from the Kansas Spring Game last night.
New Offense, Same Scheme
A big question revolving around the Jayhawk Spring Game was how different the offense would look following Andy Kotelnicki’s departure to Penn State. It turns out, the switch to new OC Jeff Grimes’ system is merely similar, as he uses a lot of the same concepts that the eight returning starters on the unit are accustomed to. The rushing attack is still RPO-based and the passing offense is spread out, featuring a lot of horizontal stretch plays to set up vertical shots, which is philosophically similar to Kotelnicki’s approach.
Jalon Daniels Back to His Old Self
After missing the final 10 games last season due to a back injury, starting quarterback Jalon Daniels returned to the field and looked good as new under center. The Jayhawk signal caller threw a few nice, accurate deep balls, including a 40-yard strike to wide receiver Quentin Skinner on the opening drive.
While keeping him healthy all season is paramount, Friday night reassured everybody that there is no need to worry about Daniels’ status entering 2024.
Young Talent Flashes Early
Few veterans saw a lot of playing time for obvious precautionary reasons, which gave the young, raw talent an opportunity to make some strides early on.
For starters, how about true freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall? The three-star dual-threat is one of KU’s most hyped up prospects and he delivered on Friday night, making several impressive deep throws and showing off his rushing ability on the ground to look like a mirror image of Daniels.
Perhaps the highlight of the night was sophomore safety Jalen Dye, who appeared in only one game of his college career so far, when he sniffed out a hitch route and got a pick six in the second half. He also had a handful of stops and made splashes in a Kansas secondary that should remain one of the Big 12’s best.
Front Seven Shows Progress
The biggest concern coming into the night surrounded the front seven defensively, where the Jayhawks lost a few notable players this past offseason.
While the linebacker corps was quiet and few projected starters suited up, a pair of defensive linemen made a ton of noise early on. Redshirt-freshman Grady Seyert tallied two tackles for loss, while highly-touted recruit and true freshman Dak Brinkley had a few highlight reel plays of his own. These two youngsters, as well as the entire front, need to continue to progress this offseason for a unit that ranked 96th in the FBS in rushing defense in 2023 and will be competing against a handful of talented rushing offenses in the Big 12.
All in all, there were a lot of positives to take from Kansas’ Spring Game last night, especially with the emergence of a few young, unproven playmakers. If the Jayhawks can continue to grow and remain healthy, they will be a serious Big 12 title contender this season in what will be their third year under head coach Lance Leipold.