Lance Leipold mentions several players for camp performance
As the Jayhawks work through fall camp, head coach Lance Leipold is seeing encouraging signs across at several positions. A lot of the positive information comes from experienced returners and some players who arrived via the transfer portal.
Leipold hesitated to single out too many names because he admits he does not like to leave out specific players. But he acknowledged the progress of several players who have caught his attention early in camp.
It started with quarterback Jalon Daniels.
“Jalon’s very focused right now,” Leipold said. “He’s on a regular basis the first guy in the building.”
Leipold also praised wide receivers Emmanuel Henderson and Cam Pickett. Henderson transferred from Alabama and Pickett from Ball State. Both were on campus in the spring.
“Emmanuel, I have already mentioned,” Leipold said. “I think Cam Pickett’s been very consistent and has shown things.”
On the defensive side, Leipold said safety Lyrik Rawls has stood out for both his performance and presence.
“Lyrik Rawls is a guy who’s shown great maturity and leadership in our defense,” he said.
The defensive line continues to be a position of strength and depth for KU. Leipold singled out multiple edge rushers for their effort.
“Leroy Harris continues to show up daily, getting better at the defensive end spot,” he said. “Justice Finkley’s got a great motor. He’s like a pro in how he goes about things. He’s a great example for our program and brings great energy. Dean Miller continues to play at a high pace.”
One of the topics going into fall camp is who would win a spot on the depth chart behind Dean Miller. There are several players competing and Alex Bray is getting reps on the strong side.
“Dak Brinkley’s still in that group,” Leipold said. “Dylan Brooks and Alex Bray are probably two I forgot. You should’ve just asked me how Alex was doing. Alex transferred from Illinois, wanted an opportunity to play defensive end. We’ve given him that. He’s very workmanlike, kind of gives us another version of what Dylan Wudke did last year, though they’re slightly different players.”
With a mix of veterans and new players, Leipold said the team feels confident in rotating “five or six guys” at defensive end and expects similar depth on the interior. He said one of the keys is the team finding a way to stay healthy.
Leipold said the defense dominated parts of the most recent practice, especially during the two-minute drill and team pass situations and he stressed they need to be consistent on both sides of the ball.
“Being consistent throughout practice is something we need to continue to strive for,” he said.
