LAWRENCE — As Kansas football defensive ends coach Taiwo Onatolu talked in early April, he expressed confidence in the team’s ability to figure out what it needs to do with its pass rush.

Onatolu pointed to the concern that lingered after Kyron Johnson turned pro following the 2021 season. Onatolu highlighted a similar concern when Lonnie Phelps turned pro after the 2022 season. And now there’s a concern because Austin Booker turned pro after the 2023 season, on his way to being selected in the 2024 NFL draft in late April.

There’s a process, of guys stepping up, that Onatolu has trust in. Head coach Lance Leipold alluded to that same trust during spring ball, too. And, Onatolu added, if necessary they’ll handle it by committee.

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Here are five things to know about the defensive ends position after spring ball wrapped up in April:

Dean Miller is becoming a name to know

Redshirt junior Dean Miller arrived at Kansas ahead of the 2022 season as someone with a lot of promise, especially given his length. While the 6-foot-5 talent struggled to put on the necessary weight, it appears that issue is starting to drift back further in the rearview mirror. At one point this spring, KU's head football coach mentioned it’s good to see Miller embrace that part of his development, because Leipold told him they didn’t sign him for him to only run down on kickoffs.

Onatolu says they want Miller at 240 pounds, but have had explosive guys play in the 230-to-235 range and Miller is an athletic talent with a motor. Miller noted he feels physical regardless of his weight, but wants to be able to hold his ground on double teams. For Miller, it was a productive spring and he’s been trying to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.

Jereme Robinson is back

Senior Jereme Robinson is back for another year with the Jayhawks, providing Kansas with an experienced talent on the edge. Last season, he tied for third in tackles for loss and finished second in sacks. Although he was limited during spring ball due to injury, he tried to do what he could to improve.

During the spring, Robinson said he has some dreams he’s going to keep to himself at the moment. When he spoke in early April, he noted his biggest role at the moment was to help coach. He also expressed excitement about a number of the guys at his position.

Kansas added a veteran newcomer in Dylan Wudke

Kansas went to the transfer portal to bring in redshirt senior Dylan Wudke out of Youngstown State. He’s making the jump from the FCS ranks to FBS in Division I. And he earned some rave reviews from Onatolu.

Onatolu highlighted Wudke as an experienced, smart football player who’s a grown man. Onatolu mentioned Wudke is very physical. Wudke, according to Onatolu, has also been picking up the playbook as if he’s been around multiple years and also seems to never get flustered.

Kansas added a freshman newcomer this spring

Dakyus Brinkley joined Kansas as one of its early enrollees. While the freshman is coming off of an injury, he’s also earned praise. Onatolu called the experience Brinkley is receiving this spring as bonus time, even if he’s someone who’s swimming as they install plays. Onatolu likes how Brinkley moves at his size, which the roster listed at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds.

Robinson described Brinkley as twitchy, especially in regard to how big Brinkley is. Robinson noted Brinkley could get some really good reps in early as a young guy. Brinkley joined as a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect.

Here are a couple more names to know

A couple more names that were mentioned during the spring were redshirt junior Dylan Brooks and redshirt sophomore Cole Petrus. Brooks transferred in from Auburn ahead of the 2023 season and has been someone who’s been referred to as having a lot of potential. Petrus would also compete for playing time.

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 spring ball: Opportunities abound at defensive end