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KANSAN.COM
Ben Goodman: Sleeping giant of Kansas football
SHANE JACKSON
@JacksonShane3
SHANE JACKSON/KANSAN
Senior defensive end Ben Goodman speaks at Big 12 Media Days on Monday, July 20, in Dallas. He said he wants to break the single season sack record of 14.5. He has five sacks in his three-year career.
"They be sleeping."
Kansas football defensive end Ben Goodman admitted he likes to tweet
that phrase every so often to remind the college football world it needs to pay attention to what he can do for Kansas in 2015.
"My whole career people have been sleeping on me," Goodman said on Monday at Big 12 Media Days in Dallas. "Part of the reason is because I have played out of position."
Even though he has been listed as defensive end for the first three years of his career, Goodman has served as more of a defensive tackle because the Jayhawks ran a 4-3 defensive scheme.
That's all about to change.
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With a new head coach comes a new identity for Kansas football. Although former interim head coach Clint Bowen remains on staff as the defensive coordinator, Kansas will run a different scheme, the 3-4 — a defense Goodman considers home.
"It's the same defense we ran in high school," Goodman said. "It allows me to focus on getting to the quarterback [and] not filling in a certain gap."
Goodman played high school ball at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas. He did exactly what his coach told him and got to the quarterback at will. The 25 colleges that offered Goodman a scholarship out of high school took notice.
But the defensive scheme isn't the only throwback to high school for the 6-foot-3 senior. After wearing No.93 for the first three years, Goodman will wear No.10 for his
final stint in a Jayhawks uniform. Previously, he wore No. 10 for two years in high school because it was the number his dad wore when he played.
"I had some good moments in 93," Goodman said, "but I don't think I did anything too spectacular for people to remember me by 93. We have this new coaching change and I'm looking for a change myself. I'm trying to do things I haven't done before."
One of the things Goodman has never done at the collegiate level? Get to the quarterback at will.
"I'm trying to break the single season sack record at KU, which is 14.5, so I'm shooting for 15," Goodman said.
Goodman said after every sack this season he will do "the bird" dance seen during the tour he gave on ESPN this past weekend.
Breaking the single season sack record will be a tall task. In his three-year career, Goodman has recorded a total of five sacks, meaning he would have to triple a three-year mark to accomplish his goal. He has taken some measures to do just that.
"I've been doing yoga twice a week to help with my hips," Goodman said. "I stretch 24-7; I stay in and work on my hips."
Goodman started doing yoga in the spring semester when he got an Ambler Student Recreation Center pass for a yoga class after being encouraged by his good friends and former teammates JaCorey Shepherd, Dexter McDonald and Ben Heeney.
"They were like 'Yeah, bro, we be doing yoga all the time,'" Goodman said. "[...] If they are doing yoga and
getting to the NFL, I need to be doing yoga."
An NFL career is certainly the goal for Goodman, who has totaled 13 tackles for loss in his Kansas career. Goodman understands he has to drastically improve in his senior campaign for that dream to become a reality.
Goodman isn't only interested in personal goals for the upcoming season; he has team goals that go beyond this season.
"I want to be remembered as one of the guys that helped turn this thing around," Goodman said. "I want to begin the process of changing the culture of Kansas football."
Coach David Beaty has already referred to changing the culture as a process, not an overnight occurrence. One of the driving factors in this process is a new motto Kansas has adopted under Beaty: "Earn it." Goodman found himself saying the phrase multiple times during Media Day.
"Nothing is guaranteed," Goodman said. "Even for me, I feel like I have to earn it, even though I'm a senior and here at media days."
If he earns the starting role at defensive end as expected, Goodman will spearhead a defensive line that plans to get after the quarterback at will.
"Our whole defense is going to pin their ears back and [opposing offenses] are going to be like,' Man, that Jayhawk team hits hard," Goodman said.
No one is considered safe from the wrath of the defensive line, Goodman and his bird sack dance. Not even the league's best quarterback — a Heisman favorite out of Big 12 favorite TCU.
"Just ask Treveone [Boykin] at the end of the season," Goodman added with a big smile.
Until then, the whole world might keep sleeping on Goodman, but after 2015 that may not be the story.