Kansas brings a consistent contributor back at defensive end in Jereme Robinson and has a lot of standout youngsters with high upside. Defensive ends coach/special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu talked about what he’s seen from the young defensive ends, how the competition is progressing at kicker and returner, and what impression Youngstown State transfer Dylan Wudke has made.
Progression of Dak Brinkley, DJ Warner, and Bai Jobe
Two of Kansas’ highest-rated recruits in the Class of 2024 were both defensive ends, Dak Brinkley and DJ Warner. Brinkley arrived in the spring and his feel for the game quickly made an impression on Onatolu.
“He just had a lot of natural pass-rush ability,” Brinkley said. “Physical kid, strong kid. He had good size. He was probably about 235 already, so he had a good, his father played in the NFL maybe eight, nine years. So he has a good feel, good DNA of the game. So I thought he was, was a little bit ahead of the curve, but he still had a lot to learn.”
Onatolu called Brinkley and Warner a “good young nucleus.” Warner was called a dynamic athlete and his maturity was something that stood out to Onatolu.
“He's a real mature kid and not a lot flusters him,” Onatolu said. “He's a pretty quiet kid, but you can ask him any question in the meeting room and he knows it. And it's pretty impressive for a young guy. And that's what's most exciting because either you have it or not physically, obviously, you have to be, you have to have development and weight and strength, but it's really the mental game in camp and he's pretty even-keeled.”
Kansas also added Bai Jobe out of the portal from Michigan State. Jobe has battled a hand injury for some of camp, but he brings to the table everything that Onatolu is looking for out of a defensive end.
“They have to be hybrid-type players,” Onatolu said. “They could drop, they're going to rush, they're going to be in the run game. So he was physical, he was athletic, and he played with a motor. And so those are three attributes we look for. If you can run and if you're physical and you're athletic and you're not afraid of contact, that's our type of guy. And he's definitely brought that to the table.”
Kicking and returning competition shaking out
One storyline that’s developed throughout camp is who will be the Jayhawks’ starting kicker. Owen Piepergedes and Seth Keller shared duties last season, but Keller graduated and now Charlie Weinrich and Tabor Allen are both competing with Piepergerdes for the starting job.
“We're charting everything. I'm not going to reveal who's ahead by points or anything like that, but those guys are competing,” Onatolu said. “They're pushing each other. We haven't told anyone who's the starter here or there. They're kind of going with the ones and twos and we'll see at the end of camp and even throughout the season, you know, competition makes guys a little bit better. So it's a close group and we'll see how that shakes out of who.”
Trevor Wilson returns as an established guy in the return game, both in punt return and kick return. Multiple other players are also in the mix, as Onatolu mentioned Sevion Morrison, Jameel Croft, Harry Stewart III, and OJ Burroughs.
“We have good depth there and it's just about building that and adding some young guys into the mix,” Onatolu said.
Dylan Wudke brings experience from Youngstown State
Wudke transfers in as a four-year starter at the FCS level for Youngstown State. He was banged up in the spring but is a sharp and physical player. Onatolu said he’s kind of flown under the radar a bit but has a chance to be impactful.
“He's played a lot of football. He's played against Ohio State, a lot of big, big-time schools,” Onatolu said. “So he's not, he's not afraid. He's an older guy. He's extremely mature. And when I say he's sharp and he's really picked it up and it's been a good competition, he's pushing guys, okay, because he's going to go in there, he's not going to make mistakes and he's going to be a physical player for us.”
