LAWRENCE — As Kansas football coach Lance Leipold looked ahead to the spring showcase earlier this month, understandably he wanted the team to look sharp.

Leipold, who felt his Jayhawks had turned the ball over a bit more than desired this spring, didn’t want to see sloppy penalties. He wanted them to tackle well and execute on both sides of the ball. Although there would still be a couple more practices this spring after the event, practices he’d want them to maximize, it’d be an evening that’d allow them to evaluate their players’ performances in front of an eager crowd.

Fast forward to Friday, and after the event at Rock Chalk Park, and Leipold appeared pleased with how the night unfolded. There were highlight plays, and opportunities for younger athletes to put their skillsets on display. With months still between now and the 2024 season opener, the expectations around the program aren’t going anywhere.

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Here are some takeaways from Kansas’s spring showcase event in Lawrence:

Lance Leipold describes the setting as neat

The past couple of years, Kansas held its spring showcase event at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. However, the Jayhawks’ home stadium is currently undergoing a renovation. So, Leipold and company held the team’s event at Rock Chalk Park this year.

Leipold described the setting as neat, intimate and different. While they were inside a soccer stadium, that didn’t mean they couldn’t get a lot accomplished. Senior wide receiver Quentin Skinner noted it was exciting to be back in front of their fans again.

Kansas football could return to Rock Chalk Park in the future

Leipold said he hadn’t given much thought to Kansas playing its spring showcase event at Rock Chalk Park again, but added he wouldn’t mind if that idea was brought up. He wants to be respectful to the fact this is where the Jayhawks’ women’s soccer team plays its games, and appreciates how cooperative that program has been this spring. He highlighted that it would be more of an administrative decision than his.

Jalon Daniels’ play doesn’t go unnoticed

The highlight of the evening was a deep pass redshirt junior quarterback Jalon Daniels connected with Skinner on. Skinner said it was amazing to see Daniels, who’s been working his way back from injury, back in action again. Even when Daniels hasn’t been able to take snaps, Skinner added, Daniels has been around the coaches and younger quarterbacks finding ways to be involved.

“He’s been throwing all spring and for him to get out in front of people, I’m sure, I think makes a lot of people a little less, I don’t know, speculation of things,” Leipold said. “He’s throwing, throwing it deep, throwing it all over. He’s got a great attitude and it’s great to see him and Quentin hook up again.”

Kansas’ confidence remains high

This is the first time in more than a decade that Kansas has gone through a spring after a bowl game victory, and the first time the Jayhawks have done so during the Leipold tenure. Leipold mentioned the program’s benefited from being able to have December practices across the past two seasons, as the team also reached a bowl game in 2022. And he thinks his team understands that there’s still a lot to work on, especially considering the target on them — from an opponent’s perspective — will be bigger this year.

Skinner said there are a lot of players who’ll be in their last season at the college level this year, so that adds to the motivation Kansas has. However cheesy that may sound, he acknowledged, that’s how he feels. It’s not just that the Jayhawks are more confident, he explained, they’re hungrier.

Here’s what Lance Leipold thinks Kansas accomplished this spring

Kansas has a few new assistant coaches this spring, including offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa and assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes. There’s an acclimation process that comes with that. In addition to making progress there, Leipold noted he thinks they’re finding answers up front after the departures that occurred from last season’s team.

Leipold added he thinks they’ve found depth among their running backs, especially considering the emergence of freshman Harry Stewart III, even though redshirt junior Sevion Morrison hasn’t been as healthy as they would have hoped. Leipold mentioned the depth at wide receiver continues to be strong, and that the linebackers are playing more downhill than ever. He also liked that the development of the Jayhawks’ younger cornerbacks will provide them with some versatility.

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: Here's how Kansas football coach Lance Leipold feels about the spring