One of the storylines for Friday night when the Jayhawks kick off against Tennessee Tech will be the rotation and snap counts at linebacker.

It is arguably the position that has been upgraded the most since last season.

They have strengthened the group adding Craig Young, Eriq Gilyard, Tristian Fletcher and Lorenzo McCaskill. They all bring different traits and that will dictate how Borland and linebackers coach Chris Simpson work the rotation through the season.

“It might depend on the guy, and it might depend on the situation,” Borland said. “I feel like there's certain guys that are going to function better. If it's a running game, or one of those kind of games. I think we have guys that are better suited to that. There might be some guys that are better suited towards some of the perimeter kind of games.”

The new players join Gavin Potter, Taiwan Berryhill, Rich Miller and several others who were in the program. The depth they added will give the coaches options based on the offenses they are playing.

“I'm sure coach Simpson will have a plan and for how to use those guys,” Borland said. “And it's not like it has to be intramurals where everybody's going to get this many. I think it depends on the person. It depends on the game. It depends on just situations of what's happening.”

McCaskill is the most recent player to arrive on campus and appear on the depth chart. He did not join the team until the beginning of fall camp but is second on the depth chart behind Berryhill. He is still learning the system.

“Zo has only really been here for, I don't even know if he's been here three whole weeks,” Borland said. “It is barely three weeks. So, he doesn't know the whole playbook like he's going to know it or maybe needs to know in some respects right now. For him, it's kind of putting him in the situations where the calls are going to reflect what we know we can execute.”

At Louisiana, McCaskill had over 160 tackles the last two seasons and was coveted by several Power Five programs.

“We know that he's physical,’ Borland said. “So, if he can get his hands on somebody, he's going to more than put his hands on somebody. He's going to put his pad and his body on him. I think that's the good part of his game. He's got things to work on. He knows that as well. He's got to work on his ability to play in space sometimes and do some things, but we're trying to put him in situations where that he doesn't have to do that as much.”

Safety is another position that is shaping up like the linebackers. Borland will have different personnel groups and combinations he can use in the secondary. One of the key additions in the offseason was Marvin Grant. Last year he started every game for Purdue and among the team leader in tackles.

O.J. Burroughs rose to the challenge and is fighting with Grant for the top spot according to the first depth chart.

“Right now, they're going to kind of complimenting each other as well,” Borland said of Grant and Burroughs. “I don't think OJ's has conceded anything. I think they both have their strengths and I think we can use both. So, I know we'll see on Friday night kind of got a plan and going to use them both. And obviously Kenny's in that there's guys in that mix and we'll kind of move guys in and out of there a little bit.”