D.K. McDonald says ‘sky’s the limit’ for Kansas football freshman cornerback Jalen Todd
LAWRENCE — Jalen Todd joined Kansas football, in part, because he wanted to learn from Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson.
Todd, a freshman cornerback, sees those two senior cornerbacks as NFL-caliber talents he’d like to be like one day. Before he ever arrived on campus, he watched Bryant return an interception for a touchdown in 2022 against West Virginia and Dotson return an interception for a touchdown in back-to-back games in 2023 against Oklahoma and Iowa State. Todd praised how smart Bryant and Dotson are, how they can see where a route’s going before it happens.
But Todd, who’s learned technique and more from that veteran duo, has also been doing enough to earn some praise for himself, too. He took advantage of the opportunity he had to enroll early, and has kept that momentum rolling during fall camp. Todd has transformed his body in a matter of months, and first and foremost D.K. McDonald thinks that’s helped Todd’s confidence.
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“When you’re 18 and you put on 20 pounds of muscle, that really means a lot to you,” said McDonald, Kansas’ co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach. “So, I think just from a confidence standpoint he’s feeling really good. … Now when he puts his hands on people they really feel 190 pounds hitting them instead of 170. That’s a big difference. And so, you can see that on field. … He’s able now to knock some guys sideways, backwards, and he still has gained speed even from that which is really good, too. So, sky’s the limit for him, which is a lot of fun.”
It helps as well that Todd, who’s officially listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds, is back to 100% health-wise after dealing with what McDonald described as a shoulder injury during the spring. As McDonald noted, Todd can do more than showcase how he can change direction and do more movements like that. In time, he could be someone who could provide Kansas with some positional flexibility.
Of course, Todd has to earn his way onto the field and into any rotation. As head coach Lance Leipold pointed out, in addition to Bryant and Dotson two more cornerbacks who’ve impressed have been redshirt junior Damarius McGhee and redshirt sophomore Brian Dilworth. But Leipold also highlighted how well Todd takes coaching, and how you never have to tell Todd something twice.
Time will tell exactly what role ends up coming Todd’s way, but it’s clear he’s in line to receive something. He can help a team that’s looking to build on back-to-back bowl appearances. He can help a team that’s eager to contend for a Big 12 Conference championship.
“As far as some of our younger players that can contribute,” Leipold said, “I think he’s going to put himself in position — whether it be through special teams or anything — through a long season.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: D.K. McDonald says ‘sky’s the limit’ for Kansas football CB Jalen Todd
