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Wednesday, August 20, 2014
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ΔARON GROFNF/KANSAN
Sophomore Montell Cozart runs drills during preseason practices. Coach Charlie Weis announced Cozart will be the Jayhawks' quarterback. "Having the experience he had last year really helped," Weis said.
FOOTBALL
COZART FOR QUARTERBACK
Sophomore starter hopes to turn team around after successful freshman season
SHANE JACKSON
@independent2
@jacksonshane3
Over the past six years, the Kansas Jayhawks have started six different quarterbacks. This year, Coach Charlie Weis will hand the reins to sophomore Montell Cozart, who will start in the season opener against Southeast Missouri State on Sept. 6.
Besides Cozart, quarterbacks from previous years include Todd Reesing, Kale Pick, Jordan Webb, Dayne Crist and Jake Heaps. But what Cozart has — that most of his predecessors didn't — is experience in a Kansas uniform.
"Having the experiences he had last year really helped. His success against
Virginia, his struggles in other games — he's not the new guy anymore. He's been out there," said quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus. "It is nice working with a guy that's not all new for him, like we have in the past."
The 18-year-old freshman out of nearby Bishop Miege High School had his redshirt ripped off in mid-October last season when he saw his first collegiate action against the Oklahoma Sooners. His first start for Kansas came against West Virginia, where he led the Jayhawks to their second conference victory in 42 games.
During his first year, Cozart played in seven games, starting in three of them despite Heaps being the incumbent starter
early in the year.
Entering his third, and perhaps most crucial year, Weis has decided to veer away from the transfer quarterback experiment. With the help of a new offensive coordinator, Weis pins his offensive hopes on a kid who has yet to complete a touchdown pass in his collegiate career and completed a mere 36.5 percent of his passes.
But for Cozart, who just turned 19 on day four of camp, being thrown into the starting quarterback role is nothing new.
For as long as he can remember, Cozart has been a basketball guy. He preferred playing pickup games on the court with his friends rather than tossing around a football.
In fact, as a freshman in high school, Cozart only played basketball. As a sophomore, Cozart played mostly cornerback at the varsity level and spots at quarterback in garbage time.
"One of the reasons why I chose Kansas is because I wanted to be a hometown hero that you hear about ..."
MONTELL COZART
Quarterback
But his third year in high school, he was thrown in the starting role and asked to be a leader, a role he finds himself in once again.
Naturally, Cozart found
a way to thrive in even the toughest circumstance. He led Bishop Miege to the Kansas Class 5A state championship game in 2012, throwing for 2,759 yards and 25 touchdowns. On the hardwood, he averaged 18 points per game and was named first team all-conference.
But eventually, Cozart swapped his high school basketball shorts for a crimson and blue football jersey in hopes of turning the program around.
"One of the reasons why I chose Kansas is because I wanted to be a hometown hero that you hear about, and put Kansas football back on the map, and hopefully we can do that this year," Cozart said.
The last time Kansas was
remotely near the map was six years ago, behind Reesing, a player Cozart has awed over in the film room.
"I have watched a lot of film on him, I think we are similar because we both put pressure on defenses, because we are both 'dual-threat', keeping defenses on their heels." Cozart said. "The game I remember the most is when KU played MU at Arrowhead and the weather conditions were terrible, and Reesing was just making plays. He was a great one to watch."
Kansas' quarterback situation has been a revolving door since the days of Reesing, but even at 19 years old, Cozart might just be the guy to fix it.
Edited by Sarah Kramer
FOOTBALL
Two top running backs declared out for season
Newcomers to assume starting role
STELLA LIANG
@stelly_liang
The Kansas running back corps has suffered two major injuries in the last two days.
Seniors Brandon Bourbon and Taylor Cox are out for the season after separate injuries. Bourbon was No.1 on the depth chart and Cox was second.
"I feel bad for both Brandon and Taylor as they were looking forward to the opportunity to be the replacement for James Sims."
CHARLIE WEIS Football coach
"I feel bad for both Brandon and Taylor as they were looking forward to the opportunity to be the replacement for James Sims," Coach Charlie Weis said in a news release. "I sat down with each of them individually
Bourbon tore his anterior cruciate ligament Sunday and Cox tore his Achilles tendon Monday, Kansas Athletics released Tuesday night.
and talked through their options and was happy that they chose to further their education, while attempting to play again next year if things work out."
DeAndre Mann and Corey Avery are the remaining running backs on the roster. Mann is a junior-college transfer and Avery is a freshman; both have not played in an official Kansas game. Freshman Joe Dineen, Jr. has changed positions from safety to running back for added depth.
According to the news release, the team will look at filing a sixth-year clock extension for the pair. Both Bourbon and Cox have already redshirted at Kansas.
Mann comes to Kansas from Hartnell College in central California, where he rushed for 1,706 yards last season. His yardage led all junior college players in California.
Avery, from Carter High School in Dallas, chose Kansas over football powerhouses Texas and Nebraska. He scored 22 total touchdowns while playing both running back and wide receiver.
Edited by Casey Hutchins
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
Then-junior halfback Brandon Bourbon attempts to leap over a Blue defender at the 2013 Kansas Spring Game in Lawrence.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
A Kansas State defender begins to bring down then-junior running back Taylor Cox in the 2012 Kansas-KSU matchup in Manhattan.
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