Kansas’ offensive line room comprises a mix of returnees and portal additions as the Jayhawks look to replace three starters. Offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa met with the media on Tuesday, discussing the returnees who have stepped up, the process of training newcomers, and cross-training offensive linemen.

Returners growing in leadership roles

The two starters returning on the offensive line are Kobe Baynes and Bryce Foster, while Calvin Clements– who got reps last year– looks to step in as the starting left tackle. Agpalsa said the tree are all growing as leaders, with each of them leading in a different way.

“I think everybody has a little different style at the end of the day,” Agpalsa said. “We've talked about leadership being a skill. It's not necessarily being you're born with it or not. It's something that you continue to promote… And I think all of them lead in their own types of way, but I think we're getting what we need out of all of them.”

Agpalsa said Clements likes to work in small groups or one-on-ones to help players learn. Baynes leads by example with an “unrelenting” energy.

“His energy is unrelenting in a good way,” Agpalsa said. “And when you have several younger players just kind of figuring it out and learning, they get to use him as an example on what it should look like and how the type of energy and speed you have to play with to be successful at times. So it's been really fun.”

Clements looks to become the full-time starter at left tackle after Bryce Cabeldue’s graduation. The redshirt sophomore started the season finale against Baylor in 2024 and started the Guaranteed Rate Bowl in his first college season. Agpalsa is looking for Clements to continually stack days and plays.

“I think at the end of the day when you're talking about guys that you trust is their ability to, I guess the word is to be consistent, stack plays,” Agpalsa said. “We talk about doing our job. And if you do your job one play, stack it to another play. You can stack it for a play, stack it for a series, you can do a series, get to a quarter to a half to a game, if that makes sense, that mantra being more process oriented.”

Recruiting young transfers and coaching them

All four of Kansas’ offensive line transfers are listed as either redshirt sophomores or sophomores. Three are coming off their true freshmen seasons, and Agpalsa said it’s important to have continuity along the offensive line.

“You don't want to change things over year to year to year,” Agpalsa said. “Just having a senior, it's hard to develop continuity in our room doing that. So the blessing in disguise is you take a guy that's played and started a season or eight games and has game experience and you can bring them in. They've been in the fire yet they have multiple years left to help us win.”

Kansas has had a lot of continuity on the offensive line during the Leipold era, with this season really being the first where there’s been a large group of newcomers. Agpalsa said the approach to coaching them is a little bit different as they learn the system.

“With a lot of younger guys in the room, we got to do a great job of being that spark plug with them and being that energy for them, which has been really good this spring because there's a lot of players getting a lot of reps,” Agpalsa said. “It's only going to help us grow in the future. But there is a change of pace even with coaching, making sure we establish a sense of standard in our room.”

Approach to cross-training newcomers

Kansas has built its offensive line on having players who can play at multiple positions. Dominic Puni played both guard and tackle during his time at Kansas and transitioned that into a successful NFL rookie season. Agpalsa said the newcomers have to feel comfortable where they’re at before Kansas decides to cross-train.

“With a younger group right now, the most important thing I believe as coaches we have to do a great job of is getting to feel comfortable in their skin somewhere. If you watch practice, we're probably not moving people as much as we have in the past,” Agpalsa said. “But at the end of the day with the younger group, we try to keep them at home. Once they feel comfortable where they're at, then the cross-training happens.”

One player who is training at a completely different position is Greydon Grimes. The son of former offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes was brought in as a defensive end but has since switched to offensive line.

“He's a really good athlete. He has good length, good speed and are really athletic,” Agpalsa said. “Can bend and can move. It's just new to him. And it's fun, though. He's getting a lot of reps right now, and that's all he can ask for because, you know, repetition is the mother of all learning, and experience is the father.”