First Team All-MAC center Mike Novitsky may not have expected to wind up at Kansas for his junior season, but he's being looked to as a leader during fall camp.

Novitsky is one of a few Bulls that followed Lance Leipold to Lawrence and says progress is being made since their arrival this Summer.

"I think we've been doing a great job of grasping the playbook," He said. "We started in early summer, and just kind of slowly chipped away at it. And we've been getting a great hold of it. Now we're starting to execute on the field, it's been looking pretty good."

Jumping into a new roster brings a lot of changes on the field and it's safe to say Novitsky is taking part in a sizeable task at Kansas.

The offensive lineman has been jumping into the leadership role headfirst and working to familiarize the roster with the basics.

"Planning the practices were really good for us, we were able to get some drills down in certain scenarios that happen in certain plays, we were able to work them," Novitsky said. "So once we get out on the field, you know, we feel comfortable with them."

Novitsky started in all seven games his sophomore year at Buffalo. He would help the Bulls' rushing attack become the nation's second-best in yardage per game (287.3).

With half his college career over, Novitsky decided to leave Buffalo and follow Coach Leipold to Lawrence to join a rebuilding Jayhawks program.

Looking for a change of pace, Novitsky says he wants to help rebuild a program and play a role in getting this program back on its feet.

"I want to make a change and I want to be part of something real special. I think, you know, in the locker room, we got a great group of guys who want to get better, who want to win, and want to attack every day. And I want to be a part of that. I want to be a part of the change."

Kansas' offensive line was a major point of discussion last season and improvement up front has been stressed immensely this year at camp.

Novitsky is impressed with the day-to-day growth from the line and is excited about putting the new product to work.

"I love the way that we're getting better every day, you know, we're getting we're just stacking great days on top of great days," Novitsky said.

He continued: "We just keep working the techniques every day, the same drills just so that when we get on the field, we can execute all the plays that we have to and put our running backs in the best position to hit holes. Our quarterbacks, giving them enough time with the technique that we're using in pass blocking, give them enough time to get the ball to the playmakers on the outside."

The "one day at a time" mentality has been preached by the coaching staff since fall camp kicked off last week.

Novitsky is a fan of throwing on the pads and getting to work. He's a firm believer in Leipold's philosophy for growth and shared what he's hearing coaches at practice.

"Just daily improvement, 1% better each day. you know, coming to practice with your hard hat and your lunch pail, get ready to work. We do the same drills every day, and it's just going to lead up to something just 1% better every day."

The offensive line struggled to protect the quarterback last season and often let some nasty hits slip through.

Communication with the quarterbacks' room will be essential for this line to improve protection of the pocket and set up opportunities to move the chains.

Engaging with the quarterbacks to mitigate these issues, Novitsky says the relationship is off to a strong start and the line is beginning to find a rhythm.

"They're all great guys. we do a lot of stuff pre-practice with them to get on the same page, to see how they're thinking pre-play," He said. "All of them are great guys, and they're all great leaders. We're gelling well together. Just everyday, we're just getting better every day, trying to get that chemistry that's a huge part of the offensive line."