Notebook: Walk-on NIL program, bye week recruiting, and getting healthy

On Monday morning several walk-on players were awarded NIL opportunities. Inside the Anderson Family Football Complex at 10 a.m. a group of players met with the Legends of Kansas Collective to hear about the news.

Former Kansas football player and walk-on Micah Brown is part of the collective that presented the NIL to the players.

“Hard work and dedication are pillars to the foundational success of this program, and nobody embodies those more than a walk on,” Brown told Jayhawk Slant. “As a former walk on myself it was a dream come true to be able to play a small part in helping facilitate NIL opportunities for some of the walk-ons on this year’s team.”

NIL has become an important part of college athletics and the collective in place has a focus to help walk-ons in the football program.

Brown said the people donating to their collective are former players. Their executive board is made up of former KU football players Algen Williams, David Ochoa, Mike Rivera, Brandon McAnderson, and Brown.

“There are a lot of opinions about how NIL has impacted college football, but I think we can all agree that was a win,” Brown said. “As former players we feel the responsibility to take care of our program, and this is the first step toward bigger things to come.”

The Jayhawks opened the season with three night games followed by four straight kickoffs in the afternoon. They will have their first morning start this season after the FOX Big Noon Kickoff Show.

This is the first time the first time the team will get to experience an 11 a.m. and Leipold is all for the early kickoff.

Last season they had several early games and there were good crowds.

“In all honesty, we really like them,” Leipold said. “We haven't had one in a while. If you remember last year I think we had about three in a row when we got off to a good start and the games were sold out. I know sometimes people feel like those are tough kickoff times, but those were our best crowds last year and we played some of our best football.”

After seven straight games he is ready for a morning game.

“We were wondering when the early one was coming,” he said. “So here it is, and it's a great opportunity to start the homecoming weekend.”

A bye week can help a lot. Look at Oklahoma State who was struggling before their bye week. People close to their program credit the adjustments they made after the bye week and have won three straight.

UCF was a team reeling after a tough loss to Baylor and a game against KU where they were not competitive. They went to the bye week, got some players healthy, a week of rest, and took Oklahoma to the wire last Saturday.

Leipold said his team was refreshed after the bye week.

“I really like where we're at right now,” he said. “I think we had a productive week last week, at the same time, we're able to mentally and physically give some guys some downtime and try to get a little healthier and refreshed. And I really like the way we attacked practice last night and what we're able to get accomplished.”

The team is in good health outside a couple of injury updates. Logan Brown and Andrew Russell have been battling injuries and will be out the rest of the season. Brown was the number one rated offensive lineman in the transfer portal last season out of Wisconsin.

“Logan had surgery last week and will be out for the rest of the season,” Leipold said. “So you won't see his name there. And hopefully we can look at filing hardship for that as well and get his year back.”

Hayden Hatcher and Damarius McGhee are also on the injury list. McGhee has been out for a while and his status has not changed. Hatcher returned to practice on Monday, but Leipold labeled him “still up in the air.”

The bye week was also beneficial for recruiting. The coaching staff was all over the country recruiting.

Lance Leipold was in Arizona on Thursday to visit Desert Edge High School. Their recruiting trips started on Thursday, and some went until Saturday.

“It's a balance, and you're trying to get out to be seen,” Leipold said. “We wanted to get to as many places as we could. Based on certain schedules and other things happening, we could get to some Thursday night games like I did, and then guys were at places on Friday, and then guys were seeing games on Saturday as well.

“Rob Ianello, Grant Murray and the rest of our recruiting staff put together a plan that utilizes our time efficiently, and I feel were able to do so.”

LINK: Tracking the KU coaches during the bye week and their school visits