Kansas football coach Lance Leipold, players highlight takeaways from team’s scrimmage
LAWRENCE — Kansas football coach Lance Leipold views scrimmages as extremely important for the players who haven’t gotten many in-game reps before.
Leipold called it a chance those athletes have been waiting on. He noted they understand it’s not just another practice rep, but an opportunity to evaluate where they are. And from the perspective of the coaching staff it’s a chance to see someone in a situation they haven’t seen before.
Take someone like redshirt senior linebacker Cornell Wheeler, who is taking a significant step up in responsibility this upcoming season. Take someone like redshirt senior linebacker Alex Raich, who Leipold feels they’ll need to ensure the position has the necessary depth in 2024. And then there’s the offensive line as a whole, because the Jayhawks are still trying to find their five best guys.
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Here are a few takeaways from Kansas’ recent scrimmage during spring ball:
Lance Leipold sees a lot of good, but a lot still left to work on
As one might expect, Leipold saw some positives and some opportunities to improve.
Considering Kansas has some guys who are limited, the Jayhawks had to mix and match who they had on the field. But that didn’t mean there weren’t any players who stood out. Leipold mentioned there are younger players who are gaining confidence and making plays.
Leipold praised redshirt sophomore cornerback Brian Dilworth and redshirt junior safety Akili Hubbard for making interceptions. Redshirt junior cornerback Damarius McGhee showed up both at the recent scrimmage and again at practice Tuesday. Sure, Leipold acknowledged that means the offense turned the ball over too much, but when one side does well that comes at the expense of the other.
Taiwan Berryhill Jr. highlights the defense’s mindset
Senior linebacker Taiwan Berryhill Jr. will be one of the leaders defensively for Kansas this season. He said they played fast and physical. From their perspective, it wasn’t about matching the tempo of the offense and instead about setting their own intensity.
Kansas’ lead running back duo see positives, opportunities for growth
Redshirt junior running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. said the scrimmage went well, and that there are a lot of people performing in a way they haven’t in the past. He specifically mentioned the freshmen who enrolled early. Fellow running back Harry Stewart III, one of those freshmen, had a long touchdown run.
Senior running back Devin Neal said it’s been unique because they’re installing a lot of new items on offense, considering Jeff Grimes came in as offensive coordinator/assistant head coach after Andy Kotelnicki left for a job at Penn State. Neal compared it to what it was like when Leipold and Kotelnicki were installing the offense after they arrived ahead of the 2021 season. But Neal did add it’s been fun to watch and that they’ll be all right.
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: Who stood out during Kansas football's recent scrimmage?
