Like most other positions, Kansas lost a bulk of its production in the defensive back room. Defensive backs coach Brandon Shelby spoke with the media Thursday, detailing the process of developing leaders after losing Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson, and the growth he’s seen from Jalen Todd.

Leadership of youngsters starts with Shelby before becoming player-led

The defensive backs room is mostly made up of returning underclassmen who didn't get a lot of game reps and newcomers to the program. Shelby said Kansas has emphasized the details and getting guys ready to go.

There are a lot of opportunities for players to step into leadership positions with the departures of Bryant and Dotson. Shelby said that he is primarily leading during spring practice while molding guys to step up in the future.

“Initially in the spring ball, [when] we're putting all this kind of the new things in, it’s really me leading, and then as we got to mold leaders, you know what I'm saying?” Shelby said. “A lot of that is leadership is teaching them how you want them to lead, and there's a time to holler and yell and also sometimes to encouragement, and sometimes that is not expressed enough when it comes to leadership.”

Shelby said he’s learned that players have lower leadership skills after COVID-19, with school being on Zoom and people forgetting how to communicate face-to-face.

Communication is a vital part of football, so Shelby had his players go up and read a set of 14 things in front of the entire room.

“One thing I'm trying to put into their brain, that when they leave this university, what makes them a successful citizen, but then also to give them confidence to get up and speak in front of their peers,” Shelby said.

While also being an important aspect of football, good communication skills can also help the Jayhawks in their future endeavors. Shelby said it’s his goal to further the Kansas culture while preparing his players for the real world.

“We just build on the culture that coach Leipold has built here that we can get these guys out to be more vocal,” Shelby said. “Because when you look at society, that's what you see. People who really don't want to look each other in the eyes don't want to speak. And we as coaches who are really teachers, have to make sure that as we teach in the game of football, we get these guys prepared for the real world.”

Shelby recruited Jalen Todd when he was coaching at Indiana

Todd was one of few true freshman to play a role for Kansas last season, appearing in 11 games. The Southfield, Michigan native was recruited by Shelby during his time at Indiana before Todd eventually chose to play for Kansas. Shelby said it makes him feel good about his recruiting process to see what he saw from Todd stay true at Kansas.

“In the recruiting process it really makes you feel good, you know, because you evaluated he him in a way that was a take for you,” Shelby said. “Then you go to another institution, he's in the room and those same notes that you wrote down a couple years ago are still true, you know what I mean?”

Shelby said Todd is a great person and does things the right way, but he could benefit from being more local. He added that Todd’s experience last season has helped him step into a bigger role well this spring.

“Last year being able to kind of baby step himself in there and not expect to go out and start right away and to learn from some veteran guys, I think he's really stepped into this role really well,” Shelby said. “I think he's a guy that when I look back at spring is probably one of the guys that's really a highlight [in] that secondary room. I'm very excited about him, his future and he just needs to keep growing and keep learning the game.”