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Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015
SPORTS | KANSAN.COM
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Mann's motivation: His son's fight for survival
Kansas running back De'Andre Mann stiff-arming an opponent on Aug. 11, 2014. Mann, a senior, had 85 carries for 399 yards in nine games last season.
FILE PHOTO/KANSAN
SHANE JACKSON
@jacksonshane3
While his teammates were set to take on Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., last November, Kansas running back DeAndre Mann was taking on his own challenge. It wasn't one based on wins or losses, but a matter of life or death.
After driving to a Topeka hospital, De'Andre would hold his newborn son, Alijah De'Andre Mann, in a single hand. Born two months and two weeks premature, Alijah weighed a mere two pounds as the effect of preeclampsia, a disease De'Andre's wife Olivia dealt with throughout her pregnancy.
Preeclampsia can prevent the placenta from receiving enough blood, causing the baby to be born very small. The disease isn't curable, but it can be managed if it's caught early. Luckily for Olivia, it was.
"I made it to Topeka in 45 minutes," DeAndre said. "I was so nervous for my wife and son driving back [to Topeka]. But she fought through and I got to see the birth of my son; that was really cool."
Now, DeAndre spends the majority of his days under the beating sun during the grind of fall camp. He studies the latest playbook, implemented by the new coaching staff, for hours. The running back meeting room almost becomes a second home.
After taking a battering at the hands of the Jayhawks' defense, he goes home and takes on even more. From the moment he steps in the door, De'Andre has no chance to relax on the couch; nine-month-old Alijah makes sure of that.
"I let him just jump on me," DeAndre said. "He's a ball of energy. All he likes to do is eat, and then he wants to jump and play."
Although Alijah seems healthy now, the newest Jay-
hawk in the Mann family faced a barrage of medical issues last winter.
"I knew it was going to be a battle for them, so I just prayed," DeAndre said of his wife and son. "They both fought. It's been inspiring to me to see the development of my son. He's 21 pounds now."
DeAndre's other family — the Kansas running backs — has been a part of Alijah's life as well. DeAndre constantly finds himself asking Reggie Mitchell, the running backs' coach, for not only football advice but family advice as well.
Alijah has become accustomed to visits from K'eaun Kinner, a junior running back, and Taylor Cox, a senior running back who has redshirted twice. Cox said he was determined that Alijah was going to be an athlete — a much better one than Alijah's father.
"That boy loves to jump," Cox said. "He's going to be able to dunk by the time he is 12."
Kinner said that he had a soothing effect on Alijah.
"Usually when I'm over and I'm holding him, he's calm," Kinner said. "I do stuff to make him laugh. I've never seen him cry. AliJah is something else."
On the football field, DeAndre, as a senior, is set for one last ride on the Kansas team. Even with the depth at the running back position, DeAndre is expected to get his fair share of carries.
At the moment, Mitchell and De'Andre himself both say he's in great shape. Though the offense may be tabbed "Air Raid," it's evident by the abundance of backs that Kansas is going to need to run the ball, and De'Andre will get carries in a crowded backfield.
Last year was his first with the Jayhawks after spending two years at Hartnell College, and he came through with 85 carries for 399 yards — a 4.7 yards per carry average — in nine games. DeAndre's veteran experience at the collegiate level has led him to a leadership role in the running back meeting room.
But perhaps the main reason for that has less to do with his ability on the field and more with his maturity off of it.
"I like how mature and grown [DeAndre] is," Kinner said. "I like seeing how good he is with Aljiah and that's inspiring."
That maturity came from struggle. During spring ball, De'Andre would only get an hour or two of sleep most
nights between class, football and his new family.
"I look old now," DeAndre said, "but in the spring, I was looking really old."
The challenges of the upcoming season don't seem so intimidating for DeAndre. He says he believes that, after a strenuous and rewarding nine months, it's nothing he won't be able to overcome.
If at any point doubt seems to have crept into the back of his mind, however, all he needs to do is look up into the stands of Memorial Stadium and see his two biggest fans watching him do what he loves best.
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