DK McDonald brings NFL and college experience to KU staff

DK McDonald comes to Kansas with some valuable experience in the NFL and is ready to coach players like Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson who have returning experience for the Jayhawks.

He talked about his experience with those two so far, what he can bring to this job with his recent NFL experience and what he saw from Kansas during his time as Iowa State’s defensive backs coach.

Both Bryant and Dotson were essential parts of a Kansas defense that took big leaps during the 2023 season. They each had four interceptions and have embraced the transition from Jordan Peterson to McDonald.

“The relationships we had and the conversations privately that we've had about football and what it takes to be great in this game and just greatest people,” McDonald said. “So, I mean, those guys have reached out to me a lot, and it's been a great relationship so far, so I'm just excited to see it build. And, man, they got tons of talent, so that's an exciting part, too. You're always a better coach with better players.”

Outside of what those two do as individuals, they are making McDonald’s job easier because of the way they have taken on leadership responsibilities.

“The biggest thing that I think of them is, man, their leadership is amazing,” McDonald said. “Those are type of things that you really don't see when you're just reading a report about a kid or you're just watching them on film, like when these young guys need help, the first two guys over there are those two guys.”

Getting to see Kansas football on an upward trajectory was one of the main reasons he wanted to join the program. McDonald admires staff that Lance Leipold has put together and is looking forward to his time as a Jayhawk.

“The big thing about the job is just being around great people,” McDonald said. “You want to be around great people, like-minded people who love the game of football and love young men and want to see them be successful on and off the field.”

McDonald recognizes the goal of most college football players to make it to the NFL and is ready to help them get there. One of the biggest things he has come to realize however, is that it is not all that different.

“The biggest thing that you learn is just, it's all football,” McDonald said. “That doesn't change at any level that it is. So that was good. Just a different way of teaching, doing schemes and helping guys be successful with some things that we learned, which was fun. It was fun to be in the playoffs for three years. It was fun to be in a Super Bowl one year.”

Coaching in the Super Bowl and coaching six-time Pro Bowl selection Darius Slay are at the top of McDonald’s resume. He uses examples from his time coaching at the next level in the film room and the players are relishing the opportunity.

“I can show film during a meeting of what I've coached and what guys know and I was fortunate enough at that level to coach Darius Slay who's been an All Pro and a Pro Bowl guy and just a lot of other guys at that level” McDonald said. “I can kind of give some examples to Mello, to Cobee about that. And it's been really good. They've just been eating it up and it's fun to see their growth”

Before going to the Eagles, McDonald was working with Iowa State’s secondary as the defensive pass game coordinator. Having seen Kansas as the doormat during his time in Ames, he knew that there was still something that could be built on.

“Kansas has always had some talent, but now the W's are following that,” McDonald said. “And so like I said, that's just a credit to coach and just a program that he's put together.”

When he got the chance to watch Kansas during his time in Philadelphia, he could easily tell they were moving in the right direction.

“Even on Saturdays in the NFL, when I had time to turn on the TV and I turn on the game, you could tell that the University of Kansas played hard,” McDonald said.

As it came time for McDonald to make his decision on where to go, he was positive he made the right decision after getting to spend some time around the program.

“There's not egos here,” McDonald said. “Everybody's just trying to go north and win football games and help these guys graduate and be successful. And so I had a lot of opportunities, but this one was the most attractive to me. Just for the simple fact of how they care about people and how they go about doing quote unquote business, that was big to me and it's proven on the field they have won a lot of games in these last two years.”