Kansas football defensive end Jereme Robinson keeps praising this Jayhawks teammate
LAWRENCE — Jereme Robinson spent a lot of his time during Big 12 Conference media days talking about his teammates.
Robinson, a senior defensive end for Kansas football, highlighted fellow Jayhawks who could emerge and help him rush the passer this season. That group included the likes of redshirt junior defensive end Dean Miller, redshirt senior defensive end Dylan Wudke and redshirt freshman defensive end Bai Jobe. Robinson even mentioned redshirt junior linebacker JB Brown.
But time and again, as Robinson spoke on that subject, he kept naming a teammate some might not have considered to be a significant part of the answer to Kansas’ pass rush question. Robinson pointed multiple times toward redshirt junior defensive tackle Caleb Taylor. Robinson added Taylor is going to prove how capable of a talent he is this fall.
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“Caleb Taylor, I really trust and believe, that he’s going to have a breakout year,” Robinson told reporters this past Wednesday in Las Vegas.
Austin Booker’s decision to turn pro early after the 2023 season has led, in large part, to the questions that have risen up about Kansas’ ability to get after opposing quarterbacks. Booker, a defensive lineman who led the Jayhawks in sacks and tackles for loss last year, went on to be selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the Chicago Bears. Robinson’s return to college matters, but head coach Lance Leipold and company understand the team needs more.
Taylor wasn’t a regular starter for Kansas this past season, but he did have a role as he went on to collect six tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks over the course of 13 appearances. He’s someone Robinson trusts and, along with redshirt junior defensive tackle D.J. Withers, someone who makes Robinson’s job easier. The better Taylor, Withers and their fellow defensive tackles play, the more time the younger defensive ends Robinson is going to play with will have the opportunity to develop.
Redshirt junior Tommy Dunn Jr. and redshirt senior Javier Derritt are two more defensive tackles to think about this fall. Dunn is a returning talent like Taylor and Withers, while Derritt is a newcomer who transferred in from North Dakota State. Together, they can help make this position a strength for the defense as long as they live up to their potential.
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: Kansas football defensive end Jereme Robinson praises Caleb Taylor
