Jeff Grimes is two weeks away from calling his first play in a game as the offensive coordinator at Kansas. He takes over a veteran group of skill position players, but he still wants to see improvement with the offense in the remaining days of practice.
Grimes met with reporters and one of the first questions he was asked was… Is the offensive line where you want it to be?
He had a quick, one-word response.
“No,” he said.
Grimes is not the only new coach on offense. He was joined by offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa on staff before spring football. He believes Agpalsa is doing a good job with his unit, but they have to continue to progress.
“I just think we have to continue to build the right kind of culture,” Agpalsa said. “I think we're taking steps in the right direction. I think Daryl’s a great offensive line coach. The guys trust him, they believe in him, and so I think we have the pieces in place to be a quality offensive line, but we are definitely still a work in progress. The good news, I think, is the fact that we still have competition ongoing. And that's a good thing.”
The competition on the offensive line is ongoing at every position. Agpalsa called the battle for the guard spot “hot and heavy.” They have rotated tackles all camp trying to find the right combination. And Shane Bumgardner and Bryce Foster are locked in a race at center.
“I felt like Shane came in as one of our more improved players from last spring,” Grimes said. “I thought he was playing with a lot more confidence. I thought he had just a vibe about him that felt like, okay, this guy is a power five center. He can do it. He believes he can do it. His communication was good, playing well, gotten a little bit banged up.”
Foster arrived midway through the summer after committing to the Jayhawks in June. After starting 28 games for Texas A&M, he is learning the system and starting to make his push.
“Bryce, I felt came in a little bit uncertain just because it was all new for him,” Grimes said. “But I think he's gotten better and better, and I think he's really made a lot of progress in that last cycle. He would be one of the guys that made the most improvement. So, we've got a good battle going there, and I think both of them could play guard as well.”
They have been shuffling players at different spots to find the right combination. Competition has been a good things and some linemen could move to a different position if it helps the group.
“It pushes us towards just trying to find our best five,” Grimes said. “And I wouldn't say that one of those guys would be outside the possibility of another spot.”
