Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Can Flory Bidunga Average a Double-Double | Big Man Position Overview for Kansas Jayhawks Basketball

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is Flory Bedunga about to be a star for KU? We preview the KU Center, big man position on today's episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's going on Derek Johnson here at D. Johnson Radio on Twitter, and this is Locked on Jayhawks. Thanks for making it your first listen every day. Thank you to the everydayers catching each and every episode of the show, whether you get it on our YouTube page, which you can like and subscribe to or anywhere that you get your audio side of things for free.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Thank you for joining us on today's episode of the show. We're going to be breaking down the big man position for KU on today's episode of the show, previewing the center spot and a little bit of the four or five men for KU. And then we'll also finish up with a little where KU football ranks compared to the rest of the Big 12 by Pro Football. focus grades and where some of the individuals rank in terms of some of that stuff. Before we get into any of that, today's episode of the show is brought to you by Monarch Money. And with Monarch Money, you can take control of your finances. Use code locked on college at Monarch Money.com for 50% off your first year with Monarch Money.

Starting point is 00:01:21 Okay, so Flory Budunga certainly leads the big man spot for KU. He is the guy you were circling and saying, okay, he should be the best player. among your big men, and he is somebody who has the potential to break out into being a star player. I think we saw it in flashes and saw it at times a season ago, like whether it was individual plays, like the steel and the dunk at UCF, I forget it was a block in a dunk or stealing a dunk. Just some of the fun dunks in general or some of the blocks he would have, some of his switchability on the defensive end when he was on the ball. But you also saw some of the moments where you said, okay, yeah, this guy is still a freshman. Like he's

Starting point is 00:02:00 still is learning. He's going to get better, but there are going to be some moments. Like, you would see him get lost sometimes off the ball. And part of that was, you know, KU at times was playing two, sometimes even three big lineups. So Flory's going to be playing positions that he's not going to be playing as much on this year's team. If we're comparing last year's Big Man spot, Hunter Dickinson, KJ Adams, Floribunga, and Zach Clements to this year's crop of Big Men, which is Flory Budunga, Paul Mbilla, and Bryson Tiller. I think it's funny because in a vacuum, if you're just comparing players to players, you would actually say last year's crop winds up being better because you say, okay, well, this year has Florey. Last year had

Starting point is 00:02:38 Florey. You would say, okay, well, Hunter Dickinson is more of a proven, productive, offensive player and score than anybody on this year's roster. You know, KJ. Adams, for some of the faults on what it led to offensively, was still a good passer and was arguably the best defender on the team. And then you, you know, wind up in a situation where you're comparing that to this year's team. And it's like, okay, I think Florey could be a stud, but let's say Florey is an all big 12 player. Well, that's what you had with Hunter, you know, is Paul and Bia or Bryson Teller, how ready are they going to be? But even though you can make that comparison and if you're just making it in a vacuum, you would say, okay, well, I don't know.

Starting point is 00:03:17 If we're talking about the fit to the team, you could at the same point in time make the argument this year's big men are actually going to have more value, more like of a push on winning to the team, if that makes sense? Because there were times where it did feel like with Hunter Diggins and he was putting up numbers, but how impactful was it when you know, you're going down and getting an easy bucket, but then they're targeting you at the other end and getting a bucket because of it, right? And with Florey, it's a little more universal on both ends of the floor. And while with Hunter, if you were able to maximize it in a better way than Kansas ended up doing, you know,

Starting point is 00:03:59 if Kansas would have been able to put more shooting around Hunter as opposed to, you know, playing basically a bunch of two and sometimes even three big lineups, it could have worked a lot better. And Hunter Dickinson is first year at Michigan. They go to an elite eight. They had a couple like three and the NBA wings. If you could, you know, isolate it that way and work around him in the right way, you could really have taken advantage of that.

Starting point is 00:04:20 But unfortunately, you weren't able to do that. And so because you weren't able to do that. to do that. It left you in a situation where instead of you putting the perfect pieces around Hunter, you were stuck in a situation where defensively you had to scramble for the perfect pieces around Hunter. And so KU actually, like KJ actually became a good fit next to Hunter on the defensive end, even if it was a bad fit on the offensive end. Well, with this year's team, again, this is where these big men come in. I think it becomes easier and this is also where the rest of the roster construction comes in. But sometimes big men can just be a,

Starting point is 00:04:53 a like they're they're the they're the final variable in the long equation you know sometimes where it's like if you are in and maybe they're the first variable because sometimes if you have a certain big man you have to play a certain way but that's the beauty of these big men that with the guys you currently have you could play in a lot of different ways of how you want to and I look at the switchability potential defensively I look at the shot blocking ability of Florey and then Paul Mbia behind him I look at the wings spans all three of these guys, and it just becomes a better defensive foundation for you and makes things a lot easier for Bill Self and game planning defensively for the rest of the

Starting point is 00:05:35 guards and going for steals and trying to make plays in that way. And I just think it's going to make it for a much easier job for Bill self-defensively. Now, the question will become offensively because you don't have that go-to score with Hunter Dickinson. Are you able to make up for it in other ways? And are these guys still able to score in enough of a way? So I do think It's just kind of an interesting conversation there. Now, when we do talk about Florida Bonunga, you're talking about somebody who, you know, back in 2023, he measured 6-7 without shoes. So I think KU lists him at 610, probably closer to with shoes, 6-8 and a half, 6-9.

Starting point is 00:06:06 We'll call them 6-9, but a 7-2 wingspan. So that's the more important part, right? You'd rather have somebody with a 7-2 wingspan who's 6-9 than you would have somebody who's 6-11 with a 6-11 wingspan. At least I would personally, right? Because you block shots with your hands, you throw down dunks with your arms, right? in hands, right? But I don't know, maybe KU Sight is saying that he grew,

Starting point is 00:06:27 and that would be even better for Florida Bedunga. And he obviously has awesome jumping ability for a big man, his size, too. So that 7-2 is not a plotting 7-2. It's a 7-2 that's going to jump out of the gym. You look at last year's stats, 34 games played, six games started, 16.3 minutes per game, 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.6 blocks per game, on 70% from the field.

Starting point is 00:06:52 But what's interesting is, you know, it would be easy to say, okay, well, if you're trying to factor out like what because his numbers look like as a starter, you would just say, okay, take, you know, his minutes per game, 16, if you figure he'll be around 25. So take half of what he produced and you'd be coming around at that point, like nine points, eight rebounds per game, two and a half blocks per game, which would all be very good numbers. But we know the longer you're in there, there is a bit of diminishing returns in terms. of just how efficient you can be, so to speak, like if you take one shot a game, it's going to be much easier to register a higher efficiency number or a very low efficiency number as opposed to one in the middle, if that sort of makes sense. But he did register those six games as a starter, and that's where you can point to and say, okay, if he's going to be a starter, what's going to look like this year? When those six games he started last year, 25 minutes per game, which, funny enough, that might be around what he ends up averaging this year.

Starting point is 00:07:51 Maybe it ends up being more. Maybe that's a sign that if you played 25 minutes per game as a starter last year, maybe it will be closer to 28 to 30 minutes per game this year. But in 25 last year, 8.2 points per game, 6.7 rebounds per game, 1.2 assists per game, point eight steals and two blocks per game on 73% from the field. But also keep in mind that was mainly as a four man. He was starting next to Hunter Dickinson. So it's not as easy to say, hey, you can expect those to be the numbers for Flore this year

Starting point is 00:08:19 because that's what he did last year as a starter. maybe you give a little bit of boost, assuming he's going to get a little better. And you'd say nine, ten points, you know, seven, seven and a half, eight rebounds, two and a half, three blocks per game. And maybe that is what he averages. Those would be very solid numbers for KU. But again, you're taking away some of the spacing. You're taking away some of the rebounding ability by playing him next to Hunter Dickinson. And from that perspective, I think to me the numbers I'm more so looking at is like 10 to 12 points per game,

Starting point is 00:08:48 8 to 10 rebounds per game, two and a half to three blocks per game on, yeah, 65, 70, maybe even 75% from the field. And those are all big 12 level numbers. If you end up being one of the best teams in the country, that's all American level numbers. It just depends where the impact goes with stats. But I think the position and role on the team,

Starting point is 00:09:11 this is a bit of an easier one. He is your starting center. He's probably your most impactful defender. We'll see if he ends up being your best defender, right? That could be, you have some guys who are in competition for that. It's a good competition. But when you think of most impactful, a lot of times that it's being the center because they can cover up for everybody else.

Starting point is 00:09:27 Elite Rim Runner, a dynamic duo with Darren Peterson, he becomes the other guy. The big question for me here, it's really two questions. What is it going to look like on the offense event? Actually, three questions. What is it going to look like on the offense event? I do think there was more there than you saw from like freshman Ernest Ude or Zubi Edgifer. There still was a little more work on the pivot foot.

Starting point is 00:09:48 in the post it wasn't hunter dickens and it wasn't peri ellis it wasn't morris twins it wasn't darrell arthur but there was more there than yeah some of those other green rar centers that we've seen at k u so that does give me hope that there could be a little more there than we expect even if it isn't you know he came eliza won down there um but what is that going to look like what is the fowling he had trouble with fouling last year which most freshman big men do and we made the comparison earlier to a younger version of doke and cole aldridge and both those guys were able to drop that in year two and moving forward in their career and then is he going to play any four minutes are we going to see him at the four in any way like we did a season ago for times and how does that look if it

Starting point is 00:10:26 goes i wouldn't be as big of a fan of that but you know if there's a certain matchup i wouldn't hate it in a certain matchup and i do think the ceiling outcome here is him being an all-american in a first round draft pick um i think the most likely outcome you're looking at an all defensive player in the big 12 you're looking at a top three all big 12 teams a first second or third team you know doke was third team all big 12 in 2018 when kansas made the final four you go back and look at his stats and see the impact and what the team did and you're like yeah he was probably actually one of the top five to ten players in the big 12 that year but they had other dudes that were eaten too and he didn't put up huge point totals i could see that being the case for florrie too

Starting point is 00:11:02 but there is all-american status there there is first round potential with florrie and i'm really excited for what he's going to look like in year two and i think he's going to take that big leap and be a stud for bill self and k u this season all right what about the guys rounding out that big man roster. Paul and Bia and Bryson Taylor. That next. This episode of Locked on Jayhawks is brought to you by Mazda. Mazda crafts cars for those who do more than simply move. Mazda delivers confidence with every ride with more IHS top safety pick plus awards than anyone else as of August of 2025. From footwork to breathwork, athletes sweat all the details. Well, Mazda brings this same attention to how we craft every model with all-wheel drive standard in every crossover SUV you can

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Starting point is 00:12:21 It's almost the weekend. Time to look back and crown this week's MVP on Who Delivered. Powered by DoorDash. Just like you can win every Saturday with DoorDash streaks, saving more every time you order, these players delivered when it mattered most. Let's break it down. For the Jayhawks this week, I know they lost.

Starting point is 00:12:37 I know they didn't come through, whatever. But DeShon Hanukkah delivered in a big way. You think about him having the first touchdown for KU, they go down 6-0, they go down the field. Hanukkah makes that nice jump ball catch in the end zone, gets him on the board, has a statement that says, hey, I don't care of those first two drives went, we're back, we're in this game. Then Hanukkah has the touchdown that makes it 3128 Kansas that gets you feeling, oh, my gosh, they might win this thing. They might pull off the upset.

Starting point is 00:13:01 He had a great game. Kansas kid certainly probably meant a lot to him. And, oh, look at that. We're going to talk about Sean Hanukal later in the show because he's the number one graded tight end on pro football focus right now in the big 12. And just like John Hanukah delivered and has been delivering for the Jayhawks, DoorDash delivers for your Saturdays. With DoorDash streaks, you save every Saturday you order, stack it up all season. You can save up to $250, including $100 in DoorDash credits.

Starting point is 00:13:25 Order this Saturday, keep the streak live, fuel your game day, only with DoorDash. Terms apply, promo period through November 18th. Thanks for joining us on Locked on Jayhawks. You can make Locked on college football, your second list every day, Lockdown College Basketball. your second or third lesson every day as well. Okay, so Florida Bedunga is the guy. He's going to be the starter. He's the guy that you look at is possibly taking that star leap.

Starting point is 00:13:51 It becomes interesting in the rotation guys behind him. And I think the favorite to win those backup center minutes, because as we talked about, could Flory play 25? Could he play 28? Could he play 30 minutes per game? Regardless, that leaves a decent chunk of minutes for the backup center spot. And maybe it gets split up where Paul M. B is playing some. Bryson Tiller's playing some.

Starting point is 00:14:07 but what we know with Bill Self is he finds the guys he trusts and he goes with them. And so I think the better odds are that one guy takes up all of those backup center minutes. And I think, like I said, the favorite would be Paul M. Bia. I'm not rolling out, Bryson Tiller, though, because if you look at recruiting rankings, he was actually rated higher. Now MPA is technically a couple years older. So it's not totally equivalent. And if you're looking at just like pure size and length, Tiller is very lengthy. you know, with a Bia, it's even bigger.

Starting point is 00:14:39 Now, Tiller also more of a four, I think, than a five, but size-wise, he can play the five. So it is interesting. I think a Bia's the favorite for this. And Bia is listed at 7 foot 245 by KU. LMB Young Stars had an event where he was measured 6-9 without shoes, probably 6-10, 6-11 with shoes. But the most amazing part, 7-8 wingspan. So again, that's going to be more impactful than being 7-foot. But last year in 34 games across all competitions because he comes over from France,

Starting point is 00:15:12 most of those games were playing with the junior French league, which is not a great league, but I guess go dominate it if it's not going to be. And he did 10.5 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game, 2.2 blocks per game on 69% from the field. Now, if we do just look at his senior competition, 11 games played a total of 46 minutes. So it's a very small sample size. you do essentially get like, you know, if he's playing 23 minutes per game for the senior team, that would be two games worth of data. And basically he put up seven points on three of six, only one of nine on free throws.

Starting point is 00:15:46 That's not great. 12 rebounds, though, that is good, five blocks and three steals. So very impactful defender, good rebounder wasn't the biggest score. But when you look at Kansas asking for a backup big to come in for possibly eight, 10, 12 minutes in a game, can you just rebound, defend, block shots, and continue that and hit the open dunk for your team? And let Darren Peterson and the guards take care of the rest. I think that's going to be very possible for him be there. So when you look at his role in the team, it's the backup center.

Starting point is 00:16:16 I think how good he is in relation to Bryson Tiller and how much Florey stays out of foul trouble, that's going to determine how many minutes. If Flore's in foul trouble, there's more minutes for the center position to go around. If Florey is good at staying on the court without getting in foul trouble, for you might play closer to 28 to 30 minutes per game and then there's less minutes for you and then again where are you in the pecking order with bryson tiller and just for what ku's asking him to do i don't think it's going to be like post up a ton though i do think you know there were some highlights some decent highlights of him actually having a little post-up game he's not as raw with

Starting point is 00:16:46 the post-up game as you might think so at k u will try to take advantage of that you know from here or there um i do think the ceiling outcome though is that like a guy with a seven-eight wingspan in college basketball is going to have an impact in some way when he is on the court. And what if he does come in and you're able to say that between Florida Bedunga and Paul and Bia, you have the best 40 minutes of dunking, blocking, rebounding centers in the country? That would certainly be very impactful and be worth something. And I don't think that's something that I would rule out. I think that is actually very much a possibility for Kansas and what Mbia compliments Florida Bidunga with. I do think the most likely outcome is that

Starting point is 00:17:24 there's going to be some ups and downs here. I think A Bia is going to be a bit more of a raw prospect that, you know maybe he takes him a little longer to get into it in the season um Kansas doesn't really have many of the rot like this would be a situation where if kansas had another veteran big band on the roster that they added via the transfer portal i might be sitting there going you know what i could see a world where that veteran big man just gets trusted by bill self more and mbia is one of those guys who it's like he comes out there he makes mistake he gets pulled after a minute or two and then the fans are in December or in january or something like man it would be nice if we would have given more minutes to paul mbia but bill self didn't want to do it because he didn't trust him

Starting point is 00:17:58 And it would be nice if he was more developed by now. I could have seen that being the case. But now Bill Self's forced to play him because he doesn't have that other veteran being on the roster. So there might be some growing pains early, but I do think it's going to pay off for KU in the end because of that length and versatility. I do think it's going to still lead to good rim protection and field goal percentage. The big question to me is what is he going to do out in space?

Starting point is 00:18:17 You know, and how many teams can really space out the five men in college basketball? Certainly in the NBA they can. Definitely in college you can with four men. But you're not always going to have to with the five man. Can you just be a little more mobile than Hunter Dickinson? The thing he has over Hunter is, again, the 7-8 wingspan where it's going to be so impactful inside the paint that it's going to kind of condense the court a little bit because anybody around the key is going to see the dude who has a 7-8 wingspan. It's going to make life easier on the rest of the defenders. So that is certainly a positive there.

Starting point is 00:18:48 The other guy here is Bryson Tiller. Kulist him at 611-240, previously measured 610 with a 73 wingspan. So again, all these players, 7-2 plus wingspans. last year's stats, well, the last time that Bryson Tiller played was in mid-March of 2024 in a real game. So it's been a while. But that 20-24 season between the playoffs, regular season, pre-season, and on conference, we just add up all the competition to give the biggest sample size possible, 12.2 points per game, 26.6 minutes per game, 8.2 rebounds per game, 2.2 points per game, 2.2 assists per game. So, you know, basically 12, 8, and 2, solid numbers there in

Starting point is 00:19:24 about 27 minutes. 0.6 steals per game, 1.4 blocks per game. So, you know, two stocks per game that's solid as well uh the fuel goal percentage though not a solid 43% from the floor 19% from three and 70% at the foul line the two point percentage is only 47.6% that is uh not great not great to say the least on the two point percentage especially for a big man with bill self if that was like a smaller point guard then you'd understand it a little bit more but like that is not going to endear you to bill self if you're missing your twos now do but keep in mind though Bryson Tiller, because he is more of a finesse foreman, is going to be taking more mid-range where it's not all going to be at the rim. If we look at just at the rim, that number would go up.

Starting point is 00:20:05 But he's also taking 1.7-3s per game at under 20% that begs the question, is that going to be something that he does at Kansas and it's going to get him a hook with Bill Self? Or is that going to be something that he improves with more time? And then all of a sudden you have a big man who can shoot threes, and that would be super valuable. But we've seen some of those guys come through for Bill Self, and he hasn't always appreciated it. it to the fullest, like a Carlton Bragg, like a Cam Martin, like a, you know, Zach Clements. So that'll be very interesting. You could argue that Tiller is is more talented than all of those guys, but it'll be very

Starting point is 00:20:38 interesting to see. I always go back to like the quote. I remember reading, and maybe this is overthinking things, but like I remember there was a quote in, I think it was like an article with On 3 or something where he was talking about comparing his game and he was comparing his game to like Jason Tatum. And I'm sitting there go, Jason Tatum's a wing. Jason Tatum's a 3-4. if that's your mindset coming into Kansas and, you know, we'll see if Bill Self can kind of coach

Starting point is 00:21:00 you out of that, that's going to rub him the wrong way. At the same point of time, you're talking about a very skilled basketball player who's very long and has a very high potential. So Bryson Tiller works out for Kansas wouldn't be surprising at all. But that's kind of the question of the yin and the yang, the give and the take that's going to happen with Bill Self there. And what if he does come in? What if Paul Mbia is, you know, very raw and has his ups and downs?

Starting point is 00:21:21 And Bill Self says, you know what? We can play a really skilled five man who can allow. us to play a five out offense for eight to ten minutes per game. Tiller has the wingspan to defend fives on the other end at seven foot three and we could play a really fun offense with Tiller at the five in a lot of ways with how we could spread out opposition. Do we see that in any form or fashion? Could that become a thing that KU does a little bit more? So I would find that very interesting and I actually want to see that lineup at least here or there just to see what it looks like. I don't know if we'll actually see it. I think the more likely situation is when

Starting point is 00:21:51 we see Tiller come in. We see him come in at the four because you don't really have a lot of the four options besides Trey White. And that would give him a breather if you put Tiller in at the four next to Florea at the five or Mbia at the five because you at least have a little bit of shooting with Tiller. Even if it's not as consistent to three point range, it's more consistent out to mid range to at least space a little bit there next to one of those guys. I would be at least interested in seeing some of that lineup here and there. And then obviously you also have Justin Cross as a walk on just to give you an extra body there at the center position. Let's finish up. We're going to switch gears to a little KU football. Where do some of the

Starting point is 00:22:25 KU football players rank among the big 12 on pro football focus that next. Today's episode of Locked on Jayhawks is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. The NFL season's here. Fan duels making sure you're ready for kickoff with a can't miss offer. Right now new customers can bet $5. And if it wins, you get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. You can also get futures still on the NFL season, future still on the college football season. you can even get those early futures in on the college basketball season.

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Starting point is 00:24:20 Use code locked on college at monarchmoney.com. and your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code locked on college. Thanks to joining us on the show. Don't forget to check out Locked on College football, locked on college basketball for your second and third listen every day. Where do some of the KU players rank through the first three games, which probably not the best exercise through three games.

Starting point is 00:24:45 A lot of teams have played an FCS team. Some of them haven't. Like schedules are very incongruent at this point in time. But still, where do the KU players? players rank among their position in the big 12 let's start with quarterback jalen daniels is fifth baron morton noa fafita brend and sorsby roco back then jalen in at number five i don't always love using the pff grade for quite i think we have so many tools for evaluating quarterbacks pff grade isn't necessarily i like using it mainly for you know offense line and corner like

Starting point is 00:25:14 those are positions that i think are a little bit harder to judge but so you know that puts him in the top five so that's good to see running back daniel highshaw's 12th among third 30 qualified running backs there. And, you know, that makes a little bit of sense after the Missouri game. Like, it feels like there hasn't been enough there. We were expecting maybe a huge season from High Shot coming into the air. It just hasn't fully clicked yet. There's been some good highlights here and there,

Starting point is 00:25:36 but we'll see if he can start to kind of put it together after this Missouri game. Or do we see more of LaShawn Williams kind of moving forward as he kind of continues to move past the injury and now has the by week to heal up a little bit more. Receiver, 45 qualified Manuel Henderson 6th. Even after that big drop against Missouri, he's at a great start. to the season. Cam Pickett is not qualified. Then you have Levi Wentz at 26th. So kind of middle of the pack there. Keaton, Quebec is 38th. So some growing pains going on for him and really his first year of like playing extensively at wide receiver. At tight end, Sean Hanukkah top ranked

Starting point is 00:26:09 tight end in the big 12 right now, according to pro football focus for qualified players. But overall, tight end. We had some, we had some questions about the tight end group for KU. This has been the surprise group so far with how good it's been. Hanukah number one. Bowen-Groen is number nine. Carson-Brun is number 15. Layton Cure is number 16. That means there's 32 qualified tight ends in the Big 12. All four of KU's tight ends that they're playing right now are top half tight ends in the

Starting point is 00:26:34 big 12. And if you view it as, okay, there's 16 teams in the Big 12. Theoretically, you want one in the top 16 and you want another in the top 32, ideally in the top eight and the top 24 to say, okay, our first string is top half in the Big 12 among first strings. Our second string is among top half in the second string. No, Kansas just says four in the top 16. That is an incredible start for that tight end group for KU.

Starting point is 00:26:56 Offensive line, some surprises, some good ones. Kobe Baines is the number one guard in the big 12 right now for KU. Tavaki, Tuiko Lovatu is third, though he hasn't been playing as much of the one reps as maybe some other guys. So maybe that helps you there if you're not playing as much against Missouri. Amir Herring is 12th of 33. So even though that's been a position of rotation with Tuiko Lovatu and Herring, both have played well. Baines has been really good. At offensive tackle, same thing.

Starting point is 00:27:24 Nolan Gorsica is actually second. And again, when you're talking about a guy who's not playing as much in the Fresno and Missouri games, most of his grades boosted up by most of it coming against Wagner. But Cruz is still 14th of the 35. This one's tough. Calvin Clements is only 33rd of 35 qualified offensive tackles. Now, I do think a big part of that is it was the one bad game against Missouri. And it's game he's going to have to get better.

Starting point is 00:27:48 KU is counting on him to be a pillar, a left tackle. for the Jayhawks. He had a good first two games, but struggled against Missouri. We'll see how he bounces back from here. And that's center. This is one where it's like Bryce Foster had a bad game against Missouri, too. He's 17th of 17 qualified centers. Good news for Kansas is the big picture would tell you, Bryce Foster will get that figured out. On the defensive line, DJ Withers, Tommy Dunn, and Keenan Caldwell, 15th, 16th, 17th. Blake Harold's only 35th, but he's coming off a great game against Missouri. I'm sure that's going to start a upward arrow for him because he's a good player. But that just kind of shows what we've thought that. I don't know that

Starting point is 00:28:23 KU has a superstar defense tackle, but they're going to have different guys show out each and every game. They've got a bunch of solid ones, which kind of makes sense there. Leroy Harris is 14th among 36 defensive ends. So great start for him. Dean Miller, 16th, but a little disappointing at strong defensive end right now. Alex Bray is only 27th. Justice Finkeley's only 35th of 36 players. I thought he was going to have a huge season. A bit of a slow start for him there. Linebacker, Trey Lathen is 10th of 40. Bengali Camara is 22nd of 40 and John John Camarra 37 to 40 still kind of figuring things out there. But, you know, Camaro was graded kind of mid against Missouri.

Starting point is 00:29:00 It's because he just missed a bunch of tackles. I thought he deserved a higher grade than that. But overall, you know, you have a guy playing through an injury who's still basically a middle of the pack, Big 12 linebacker, and Trey Lathen's been a top quarter linebacker so far. Corner, DJ Graham, 15th, Jalen Todd, 16th, and then Austin, Alexander, 35th of 45. And then it's safety. Lyric Rawls is 10th. Mason Ellis is 15th. Saeed Gibbs only 42nd, Taylor Davis, only 46th of 47.

Starting point is 00:29:25 So you see a couple of weaklings in the secondary right now. Some other players that are playing well, but you don't have that superstar. You don't have those two superstars with Kobe Bryant and Mello-Dotson. And then you have some guys near the bottom. That would make sense why KU's giving up some stuff in the passing game. Though, again, most of that derived from the one Missouri game. We'll see how that kind of equals out. And KU does have a lot of talent, just young talent,

Starting point is 00:29:46 in the secondary that I'm sure we'll get it figured out and we'll get better as the season goes on. All right, that'll do it for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks. You can find our show anywhere you get your podcast,

Starting point is 00:29:55 including on our YouTube page where you can like and subscribe to the show. See you next time with L.O.J.

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