Kansas defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu likes what he’s seeing from the players competing to back up veteran Dean Miller on the weakside.
The battle has been intense through fall camp, with multiple players making their case for playing time. Leroy Harris III and Dak Brinkley are two names mentioned a lot in training camp.
“It’s an extremely competitive group,” Onatolu said. “Guys have to show up, and I love it. It’s probably the deepest and most competitive group we’ve had. Every day you have to show up because the guy behind you could be in front of you the next day.”
Part of what pushes the competition is the way head coach Lance Leipold structures practice. Onatolu says the rotations create an environment where the best have to prove it every rep.
“Coach Leipold runs it where ones go against ones, twos go against ones, and we’re always mixing it up to see good on good,” he said. “Those guys are competing, and sometimes you don’t know the difference. I feel like we’re pretty deep, guys are pushing each other every day, and it’s definitely fun for a coach.”
One of the standouts in that group is sophomore Brinkley, a former On3 consensus four-star recruit. Onatolu believes Brinkley’s growth has been significant since last season.
“Another year in the program,” he said. “He’s stronger, more explosive, and has put in the time. Every day of camp he’s meeting extra with me or Coach Dineen, getting extra work, staying after, and doing walkthroughs. He’s always had the physical tools, now it’s about the mental part and experience. He’s had over 200 snaps this fall camp.”
True freshmen showing progress
Beyond the competition behind Miller, Onatolu has been encouraged by the progress of younger players in the defensive ends room. True freshmen Adrian Holley and Garrett Martin have both drawn positive comments for their physical abilities and work ethic.
Holley, an early enrollee, benefitted from joining the program in the spring and has been able to build on that head start.
“Those early-enrollee guys feel like they’ve been here for a while, but they’re still freshmen,” Onatolu said. “He had that advantage of getting a lot of reps, and he’s still improving. He’s going to be physical and he’s going to run. He’s working his way through the defense, playing on multiple sides. He’s doing a good job and he’s a great kid.”
Martin, another freshman, has impressed with his size and readiness for the college game. The former three-star recruit from Arizona had a frame the coaching staff liked coming out of high school.
“He’s a big kid. You look at his frame and he doesn’t look like an 18-year-old,” Onatolu said. “He’s big, he’s physical, and like all new guys, there’s technical stuff to work on. But he’s really mature, plays hard, physical, and asks a lot of questions. Whether he’s working with me or Coach Dineen, he’s all over it. I’ve got a really mature group and I’m fired up about that.”
