the summer and everything you wanted to know

Since Fall practice is starting here in a matter of days, I thought now would be the perfect time to dish on all the random info I have gathered this summer, its random I know-

 

 

Eric McGriff looks good during testing (all players get tested for weight, vertical and other stuff that none of us can do at a high level)

 

Dezmon Briscoe enjoys pizza and burgers- not sure how he likes them but those are his faves, besides his love for simple food and love for video games, I feel like Briscoe might be my brother from another mother.

 

Jake Sharp ran stairs so hard the first day (of conditioning) he puked and just kept on going, that kid is a tough SOB

 

Jonathon Wilson joined the puke party as well. (since then I have heard about a number of other guys puking while training, so we shouldn't be worried that they didn't put the time in this summer)

 

Kevin Young might factor in the DE rotation, getting to campus in January is really helping him add good weight and get bigger (maybe Mangino was including him when he was discussing the ability of the front 4 to get to the QB- remember Erik Lund thought this guy was too small when he was next to Lund's tailgate)

 

When Reesing was asked his favorite thing about the team? "We spat up." - TO (that is what the team calls Reesing)

 

Fb talk: (from early summer)

 our defense is underrated. - per mangino

 Mangino said that this is the fastest defense we have had.

 

Wright is going to be awesome, springer is going to be awesome. (this was before we got Vernon Brooks who should start at LB so it makes me feel better that there is additional talent there)

 

 Sands won't play.(I'm assuming that means he's red shirting, so there's one less guy in the KO return equation)

 

 Guy from Ohio (Bradley McDougald) is more advanced than briscoe when he came in.

 

 After TO threw the third interception against tech he was just making up plays and giving fake hand signals and laughing. (What was he supposed to do there was no way our D was stopping that 3 ring circus of an offense)

 

 Hatch will stay at center.

 

 Thorsen doesn't really have the talent.(That is kind of depressing because I was expecting him to factor into the OL rotation at RG and be backup center maybe he provides depth) (KM said that Thorsen was a guy to watch on the OL, so this will be very interesting to monitor in August) because we clearly have conflicting reports, although Meier's quote is more recent than the other statement so I'd lean towards believing that.

 

 John Williams should start over Capra. Coach said Williams is a freak. (maybe its the fact that he weighs 338 pounds and is still quick, sounds freakish to me)- see further down

 

 They are trying to get tim (Biere) the ball more.

 

Zlatnik is battling for a spot.(At DT, too big to play DE)

 

 Daymond Patterson has gotten crazy good. And was the talk of the town in conditioning drills, guy can fly.

 

The team likes home games just as much as road games (probably because most of our football fans suck and leave at halftime or don't show up because the game is at 11AM, lame)

 

 

Players not looking forward to traveling to UTEP (can't blame them)

 

The offense won't change when TR5 leaves, but will include more read option assuming KP starts because he is a running threat, the same could be said for Matthews if he were to stay at QB and win the job.

 

Based on some reports I think the possibility of Christian Matthews moving to WR (from QB) is highly possible, and this would explain why the staff has been actively recruiting multiple QB's.

 

 AJ Steward is officially at WR, I have been confused about this for about a year, but there is the truth.

 

Tanner Hawkinson still hasn't gotten to 290, which what the staff wants him to be at. But he still has about 80 days left to get that weight so not to worry, yet. (he's at 285 as of 6/25)

 

I'm sure its always been there but the staff is no-nonsense, they have made players come in at 5:30AM on a Saturday to work this off season.

 

When the players get to the weight room, they are very focused and take lifting very seriously, probably because they are going to seriously rearrange some faces this year. - assistant coach JJ

 

John Williams is at 310 (as of 7/31) and is competing with Carl Wilson at LG (go ahead and bet your house in Leawood on Williams) Williams started his RS FR year at 340 but says that he's better at 310.

 

Sal Capra  and Trevor Marogeneli are battling it out at RG. (I'm pulling for Marogeneli- because that would give us 5 returning starters on the OL for 2010, and let Capra be the backup at RG and center)

And there's a good possibility that Thorsen is in that mix as well. I gotta good feeling that Capra or Thorsen is going to win out, I'm pulling for anyone but Capra just because I'd prefer to keep the whole line intact for the next 2 years.

 

I had a chance to spend some time with Tim Biere and he's a beast. Last year he showed that he could block the shit out of some fools so that should be expected again as well as him flexing out some more a la Rucker and Coffman from missery.

He seemed to think he was going to get more receptions this year.

 

Look for Kerry Meier's role at WR to be a little different, he's going to be playing the position vacated by Dexton Fields, presumably when the TE is flexed out and there are 3 WR's.

 

On the depth chart that was just released, Briscoe was listed as the #1 KR but don't sell Bradley McDougald short for that spot.

 

We've heard from multiple people that Daymond Patterson is going to be a special player at KU and unsolicited I was told the same thing, the guy can fly. He just needs a crease to get to the crib on punt returns.

 

On the depth chart that was released there are not any of the JUCO transfers or freshmen on there, expect that to change big time.

 

Rock Chalk