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Published Aug 12, 2022
Craig Young, Gavin Potter discuss improved LB room and more
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Conner Becker  •  JayhawkSlant
Staff Writer
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@ctbecker

Kansas linebackers coach Chris Simpson acknowledged Wednesday that the transfer portal gifted him some added depth this offseason. Since the start of fall camp, Simpson’s noticed several names that may receive the green light.

Additions of transfers Craig Young, Eriq Gilyard, and Lorenzo McCaskill, alongside promising returners Rich Miller, Gavin Potter, and Cornell Wheeler, are giving Simpson – who arrived in May – a new mixed bag of defenders to work with at camp.

And the position battle is on, according to Ohio State transfer Craig Young. “It’s a new approach,” Young said. “We’ve got guys that have been here for a while. Gavin Potter’s been here for a while and he’s competing his butt off. He cares about me coming in but, at the end of the day, he’s still going to compete. Everybody has a different approach.”

In addition to Potter, Young named Rich Miller and Taiwan Berryhill as two more major competitors for playing time.

Young transferred to Kansas in December with three years of eligibility. When asked about his transition from spring ball, Young says things are feeling much more streamlined.

“This is a little bit more stability for me,” Young said of fall camp. “Just going out playing different positions is fun and everything, but here, I feel like it’s more stable. They are telling me everything I need to do and what I have to do in this position and that position. (In Kansas) it’s calmer, more relaxed.”

Feeling comfortable at camp, Young is emerging as a strong candidate for the Hawk spot, according to Simpson.

“(Young) is one of our faster guys, he's got tremendous length,” Simpson said. “What there is that he may lack he can make up for in other areas, and length is one of those things. So being a big, tall, long guy, we're putting a lot on him and he's killing it.”

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Taiwan Berryhill stands out to Chris Simpson

Simpson identified junior Taiwan Berryhill as one of the most improved linebackers in the group, thus far, on Wednesday after practice. Berryhill appeared in all 12 games last season and totaled 31 tackles (14 solo) in his sophomore campaign.

Stepping into a more confident role last year, Berryhill’s demeanor and approach have stood out to returning senior Gavin Potter throughout the past few years.

“I’ve seen him go from being here and not knowing, ‘Am I going to get to play?’, but I knew he wanted to play the whole time. And all of a sudden, he starts playing and I just saw a shift in his attitude.”

Louisana transfer Lorenzo McCaskill adds speed and experience to LB room

Recently joining camp, former Louisiana linebacker Lorenzo McCaskill transferred to KU, making him the fourth offseason linebacker added by the Jayhawks. McCaskill led Louisiana with 84 tackles (40 solo) last season, ranking 13th in the Sun Belt.

Since McCaskill’s arrival, Young’s watching the Detroit product light up the practice field.

“Very fast, very big, very smart,” Young said of McCaskill. “He’s learning quick. He hasn’t been here for that long, but he’s learning very quick. He’s picking up very quick and everything. He’s a very good player. He’s going to be a good impact for us.”

Transfer additions like McCaskill are changing the tempo of the position, says Potter.

“It’s awesome, we get more breaks,” Potter said with a smile. “Really, it’s just awesome because of the competition factor. May I go out there and I’m not wanting to go, and I look over and I’m like, ‘Okay, looks like he wants to go today.’ So, if I want to play, I better pick up what I got going on today.”

Gavin Potter seeing change across the board

Since enrolling back in 2019, Potter's watched a good deal of change sweep across the program in such a short time frame. The Oklahoma native missed some time with the program at the start of the spring schedule.

Eventually returning for spring practices, Potter says the change within the program has followed the path Leipold laid out.

"It's just been crazy like you wouldn't believe, kind of change," Potter said.

Potter stuck around for the new regime under Lance Leipold, instead of transferring. He contributed 78 tackles (46 solo) for the Jayhawks last season, the third-best finish across the defense.

Back in the swing of fall camp, Potter said the preseason mood couldn't be better.

"This is definitely one of the times when I can tell that the team is the most together it's ever been," Potter said. "The team is ready to go more than we've ever been. And the most important thing that I've really noticed is just the belief throughout the whole team, that we can go out there and compete and just play hard against anyone."

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