If anyone’s been a witness to the changes Kansas has made offensively, it’s Mike Novitsky.

The junior lineman tagged alongside Lance Leipold from Buffalo and has helped promote considerable change upfront since fall camp with the Jayhawks.

“It’s night and day,” Novitsky said. “We really put our head down and worked day by day, working through adversity and how we attacked every day. I think it’s a testament to what we’re making here and the strides we’ve taken a week in and week out with the games.”

And with senior day approaching on Saturday, Novitsky’s excited about where his group is at and is already looking ahead to the next season.

“It’s crazy how fast it’s been,” Novitsky said. “It gives a lot of hope for the future and was a great stepping stone.”

He continued: “As you go through adversity with people, you build stronger relationships. And that’s one of the reasons I think this team is so close. In such a short amount of time, all the adversity that we’ve had to go through, I would say that’s definitely played a factor in building how strong our relationships are right now.”

As Kansas lines up for the final time this year on Saturday, Novitsky has faith in his team’s mental space to put up a good fight against the Mountaineers to cap off the schedule.

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Novitsky said. “We’re still locked in, ready to play. We still have an opportunity to get better and compete. That’s what we’re looking at and that’s how we’re attacking the week.”

Since arriving in Lawrence, Novitsky has admired the attitude senior wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II carries each day. Lassiter walked on at Kansas and was placed on scholarship his sophomore year.

“Kwamie is someone you could always go talk to and build a relationship with,” Novitsky said.

“He’s been here before, he knows the ropes,” he added. “And that maturity he brings to the huddle, I think that’s very important. We used to live in the same apartment complex when I first got here, so always seeing him made me feel more comfortable with the team in the area.”

Novitsky says Lassiter has played a leadership role in the Leipold transition during this first year.

“He’s meant a lot,” Novitsky said. “Just the strides he’s been able to take and pass on the knowledge he knows to the younger guys. He’s such a big presence in the locker room, he’s going to be missed.”

“When he talks, a lot of people listen,” he added. “His words are quality over quantity. He brings that veteran presence and that confidence in the huddle. He’s been getting better every day and I’m excited to see what his future holds.”