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Dzwierzynski: It's time to believe in Kansas football
▶ BRENDAN
DZWIERZYNSKI
@BrendanDzw
Hannah Edelman/KANSAN Led by sophomore Taylor Martin, the Jayhawks run out to take on the Texas Longhorns on Nov. 19. Kansas went on to win 24-21.
it's been years since there was any real hype around Kansas football. Now, with the season approaching, players being named to watch lists and even a semblance of hope for the future surrounding the program, fans are finally getting a chance to be excited for the Jayhawks.
Frankly, it's about time.
It's been a long time since Kansas had a roster as talented as its current one. Junior defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr. is the headliner for the new era of Kansas standouts, entering 2017 as the Preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
But, unlike in past years when Kansas might have one standout player from a roster filled with mediocrity (or worse), there are multiple Jayhawks receiving attention heading into the season.
Receivers LaQvionte Gonzalez and Steven Sims
61. are both on award watch lists to start the season, a phenomenal sign for an offense that has ranged from bad to unwatchable dreck over the past several seasons, dating back to the Turner Gill disaster
and Charlie Weis reign of destruction.
Even at quarterback, where there's not a definitive starter at this point, there's more to look forward to behind center than there's been since
at least the days before Michael Cummings' knee was shredded by one of the dumbest spring game plays of all-time.
Whether it's redshirt sophomore Carter Stanley or junior transfer Peyton
Bender, it feels as though coach David Beaty's modified Air Raid offense is in good (or at least better) hands.
Neither passer has much in-game experience, but they have enough to be an
asset to the offense. Bender started his college career in Mike Leach's true Air Raid system at Washington State, so he knows the gist of the Kansas offense well enough.
People forget that Stanley was the quarterback for Kansas when the Jayhawks beat the Texas Longhorns last season, a massive win for the program.
Up and down the roster, there's reason to be excited. Two former four-star recruits from Alabama, sophomore wide receiver Daylon Charlot and junior offensive lineman Charles Baldwin, are eligible this season.
Junior defensive tackle Daniel Wise leads a defensive interior that has the girth and strength to impose on opposing offensive lines. And, of course, sophomore safety Mike Lee is quickly ascending to the ranks of the best safeties in college
SEE FOOTBALL PAGE 10
Jack Whitman leaving Kansas basketball program
▶ WESLEY DOTSON
@WesDotsonUDK
Before a single game with the Kansas basketball team, senior transfer forward Jack Whitman is leaving the program.
ESPN Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman reported on Twitter on Wednesday night Whitman's intention
to leave the team.
Whitman, a 6-foot-9 forward, played three seasons at William & Mary before transferring to Kansas. Whitman averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
He would have been able to immediately play for the Jayhawks this season as a graduate transfer.
Whitman's departure weakens what was already a thin frontcourt for Kansas. Sophomore center Udoka Azubuike, freshman forward Billy Preston and sophomore forward Mitch Lightfoot are currently the only three big men eligible to play in 2017-18.
With Kansas now holding an open scholarship, the
team could potentially target Rivals' 2018 top-ranked recruit, power forward Marvin Bagley III. Bagley is considering reclassifying to the class of 2017 to be eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft, according to CBS Sports.
According to 247 Sports, Bagley is currently considering Kansas, Duke, Kentucky, Arizona and USC.
*Missy Minear/KANSAN*
The Jayhaws huddle before the start of the game against Long Beach State on Nov. 29.