Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - Daymond Patterson recruiting stories plus what to look out for in the first upcoming KU Football 2-Deep

Episode Date: August 26, 2022

What should we be on the lookout for in the first upcoming Kansas Football two-deep? Where will Jared Casey be? What about the linebackers? Daymond Patterson, former Jayhawk, joins the show to tell his recruiting stories and how we wound up in Lawrence.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at Linkedin.com/lockedoncollege Terms and conditions apply.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

on today's locked on Jayhawks. We look ahead to what spots we're most excited to see with the two deep as the season's just one week away. I'm Derek Johnson. You can hear me as well on rock chalk sports talk Mondays through Fridays from three to six on KLWN. Thanks for making locked on Jayhawks. Your first listen every day.

We are free and available wherever you get your podcasts. On today's edition of Locked on Jayhawks, we continue on with our series of our top 10 questions. We're excited to get answered. We have Damon Patterson joining us in the second segment here. Today's episode is brought to you by BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, odds, and lines than ever before.

BetOnline, you covered this season with more props, odds, and lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts. Right off the bat, we are one week away from the first KU football game of the season. What are we going to learn in that game? Well, if KU loses, we're going to learn a lot from a negative standpoint. If they win, I don't know how much we're going to learn outside of just the personnel who play, who plays in what role, who gets the most snaps, who's playing with each other with some of the top teams, who does Jalen Daniels have a connection with. And obviously, if you struggle against the first opponent, and that just doesn't apply for the

teams, it also applies for the individuals, that's probably not a great sign when taking on a Tennessee Tech team that only won three games in the FCS a season ago. So it's kind of weird because from a win, you will learn less than you will from a loss, but it's a lot more positive of things you learn from a win, whereas all you'd be learning from a loss are negative things, I think, for the most part, outside of a few exceptions here or there, which makes, to me, the first depth chart, the first two deep that's going to come out sometime next week leading up to the game of a lot of interest. I think we all expect Jalen Daniels to be the starting quarterback. It would be a surprise if he was not listed at the starters at this point.

We've heard great stuff about Jason Bean, how good he's been in practice, that he's playing the best football of his career, that he is practicing really, really well. There have been other KU football quarterbacks, though, who have had really good seasons but haven't been the best practice players. Carter Stanley wasn't a guy who said he was a great practice player. Todd Reising, you hear stories all the time about he was a horrible practice player. Bill Whittemore had really bad practices as a KU football quarterback, but all those guys were gamers, and to a certain extent, they would do things in practice that might help them get them prepared for the game, but might not make it for the coaches feel great about where they're at in practice.

I think Jalen Daniels is similar to a certain regard in that sometimes he likes to test the limits he likes to make the aggressive throws in practice to try to see what he can get away with what he can fit in there I mean I don't think that's that different than I got like Patrick Mahomes I hear stories about him throwing all these interceptions and camp and everything but once you get into the game you kind of tighten on those screws a little bit so I think that Jalen's going to be okay I still expect him to be the week one starter and everything I still expect him to have a long leash you look at how lance leipold has handled quarterbacks in the past really the only time they've lost jobs is because they've gotten injured which was even the case last year when jaylen daniels eventually took over for jason bean so

not really expecting that much of uh craziness when we see the first two deep at the quarterback position running back still then you expect Devin Neal to be the number one sure maybe it could be telling if we see like Daniel Hyshaw as the number two as opposed to Kai Thomas or something like that I think all those guys are still going to play and all have a different role so that's not super intriguing to me the spots that are super interesting of that first two deep and how that could relate to the first game. The first is the tight end position. We've heard a lot about Trevor Cardell over the course of camp.

How he might be breaking out. He was kind of more your backup last season. And a very athletic guy. I think he's a better run blocker than maybe what you had with Mason Fairchild. But where does Jared Casey fit into all this? Because he was your best tight end over a couple games sample.

The only reason he got in there, Mason Fairchild's injured and they had all these injuries to the tight end position, but he took advantage of it when he was. And what he did over those last two games, he had eight catches for over 100 yards in just the last two games alone. Then he had on the Texas game where he had the two-point conversion. What he did in those last two games he had eight catches for over 100 yards in just the last two games alone then he had on the texas game when he had the two-point conversion what he did in those last two games was more production than you got out of any other ku tight end in a two-game sample a season ago is he just your best tight end is there you know i don't know a piece of that where they don't want to give up

the job because of injury although that would be a little hypocritical with with the jaylen daniels thing and whatnot like i kind of view it the same way as jaylen give up the job because of injury, although that would be a little hypocritical with the Jalen Daniels thing and whatnot. Like, I kind of view it the same way as Jalen. He had the opportunity because of injury, but he took advantage of it, and he was your most effective player. So, in my opinion, I think Jared Casey's your best tight end. Then again, I haven't seen the improvements that have been made by Trevor Cardell, so maybe he is better, something like that. But I'll be interested to see where Jared Casey lines up on the depth chart, if he gets that opportunity to prove that he is the best guy by getting enough playing time,

and where Trevor Cardell, Mason Fairchild are. Is Tavita Noah going to be on there somewhere, or is he just going to be someone who maybe you don't see on the two deep, he's just used for specific roles as a run blocker, or can he expand on that role a little bit? The offensive line, as we talked about yesterday, you want to see who the backups are, but I think we have kind of a good idea there. Defensively, the defensive line, I think you know a lot of the names that are going to play there, but could a guy like Tommy Dunn or

DJ Withers, one of these freshmen who redshirted last year, take that step forward and work all the way to the two deep? That would be pretty telling about the talent of those guys, but I think it's really who's going to be that other starting defensive lineman, whether it's on the outside and you're looking at Malcolm Lee versus Jeremy Robinson. I think both will play, though. Or you're looking at the inside and you're saying, who's going to be next to Caleb Sampson?

Heard a lot about Caleb Taylor. That's kind of my pick right now. Could it be a guy like Eddie Wilson or Ron McGee or Sam Burt, who we've heard such good things from a leadership perspective? Again, though, all those guys are going to kind of rotate in. The linebacking core is the most intriguing part of the defense whenever that two deep comes out, because it'll be very interesting to see how some of the newcomers

have acclimated themselves. If a guy like Lorenzo McCaskill is the starter all the way in week one a guy who wasn't here for spring ball or summer workouts and even missed the first couple days of camp then all of a sudden you're in a situation where oh yeah he must be that good and also if you're somebody who is a gavin potter rich miller taiwan barry hill or something whoever is behind him on the depth chart and he's already the starter at that point, good luck reclaiming that starting job. If not, though, I think you look at it and say, if somebody's starting over Lendzler McCaskill, that job is not safe. At any point, McCaskill could jump over him. But how much do the

improvements of a guy like Tywon Berryhill, does that kind of vault him into being one of the starting linebackers, specifically at the Will linebacker position? Where are we going to see Rich Miller and Gavin Potter on the two deep? What about Eric Gileard? And I think we all kind of assume Craig Young, the linebacker spot, you convince me a couple different guys start at some of those different positions, and that makes it super intriguing there. And then in the secondary, feel confident, Kenny Logan going to be a starter.

Marvin Grant going to probably be a starter. But what do they do with some of these newcomers like is jared paul gonna come in as a corner is he gonna come in as a safety there is montana gary corner or safety right we've heard certain things about them working out and doing uh drills in whatever position but what is it going to be on the two deep? And if Kalon Girvin, the transfer from Michigan State, is one of your starting corners, who's with him on the other side? You have three corners with Shad Dabney, Jacoby Bryant, and Romello Dotson who all got thrown into the fire as young players a season ago. And I think all of them had some flashes where they looked good,

but all of them had some letdowns where maybe you give up a big play or had something go wrong who improved the most and who's ready to take that step from being a talented but inconsistent freshman to a more steady sophomore I think you'll learn a little bit about that from the first two deep this will obviously be the most changed two deep from one week to the next because you're going to have guys starting to get injured. You're going to have guys really show out in the first week and you're going to have guys who maybe were really good in camp but maybe they're better practice players than they are once the game kicks off. And so things are going to change a lot but it's always very important to get that first read of where the coaching staff is on that two deep, and that'll come out sometime this week

ahead of the game against Tennessee Tech. In just a moment, we're going to get to our interview with Damon Patterson, asking him some stories about coming to KU, recruiting some of his time at the University of Kansas, and then we'll continue on with our top 10 questions and into the number one question. BetOnline.net is the fastest and easiest way to check in on all your betting needs. Find all your favorite sports and events at the number one online source for odds, lines, and games. Find reviews and news of every league, including Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, NHL, combat sports, esports, and even golf. BetOnline continues to be the top online resource for all your sports wagering information.

From live in-game betting, scores, and podcasts, they got you covered. Head to BetOnline today or use your mobile device to learn more about the action happening. BetOnline, where the game starts. On Monday's show, we're going to be joined by Shane Jackson to break down some of the betting lines, things, prop bets, whatever, for Kansas football. But today, we've got Damon Patterson, former KU wide receiver, all-purpose player,

really talented former Jayhawk, led the 2010 team with 60 catches and receiving yards that season and obviously made a bunch of other big contributions through special teams and playing some as a defensive back and whatnot here is our conversation with damon you are an out-of-state kid you come from texas we've seen so many great ku players especially in the time that you were there or right before you come from the lone star state so what made you want to come to Kansas out of Mesquite, Texas? So the main reason I wanted to go, one, is because I had looked and kind of seen where the program was at. Getting better, but I was always the guy who grew up around recruiting

because my dad was a trainer. He trained, like, all the top guys. When I say top guys, I'm talking about nationally ranked top ten guys all at the same time when I was in middle school at my high school that I ended up going to. So once I seen, like, how recruiting worked, I was like, I don't want to just go to a school because of the name. I want to go to a school where I can play at and where I'm going to be featured at you know

and then the landscape of college football at that time i never wanted to go to texas because they didn't have smaller receivers tcu was still running the ball and out in the mountain west baylor was very very bad before rg3 got there he got to college my year so and then um it was texas tech first i went to tech and really didn't like it. So then I was like, I like how Kansas is starting to throw the ball around. And I knew I could come in and play immediately. And then the second part was I grew up 20 – not grew up. I was born 20 minutes away in Topeka.

So all my family was still in Topeka and Olathe. So that was the second biggest part of the decision. One, I knew I was going to play coming right in. And two, I had family that would be able to watch me every week because they were on 20 minutes on each side of lawn. I don't know if you had a specific assistant who recruited you or if Mark Mangino got in that process at some point or from the beginning or whatever, but do you know, like what was Mark Mangino like as that process at some point or from the beginning or whatever but do you know like what was Mark Mangino like as a recruiter um so it's so crazy because um Mangino did um have his

part of recruiting me but my recruiting coordinator was Clint Bone and people don't know and I've told it a couple of times so when I was coming out of high school, well, this was my junior year, I had Wisconsin, I had Utah, Purdue, Florida was handwriting, probably going to be offering things. So I had some pretty decent offers compared to where KU was at at the time. And guys that would have offered as well if I hadn't committed so early. I committed a week after my junior year ended. So I ended it pretty early.

But Bowen came to practice. And when he came to practice, he just kind of stood off to the side. I didn't notice him. He was kind of off to the side. Didn't say anything to me. And then we had another highly ranked wide receiver as well on one of my good friends, Lanier Sampson. So I was like, okay, if if he wasn't here for me then he had to be here for lanier because we were both getting d1 offers you know every other day by this point so my dad said hey did

kansas say anything to you because obviously he grew up his whole life in topeka and he's a big ku fan so i was like no they didn't say nothing to me and they must have said something to uh lanier and so i hit him up you, we were talking about recruiting, what was Coach saying. He's like, no, Kansas didn't say anything to me. So I was like, oh, it is what it is. That's weird. We know nobody else was getting recruited at that point. So we was like, whatever.

So a day or two goes by, and one of Coach Bowen's good friends asked him, hey, how did Texas go? I know there's a lot of good players down in Texas and in Dallas. Where did you find anybody you want? And he was like, yeah, there was a kid out of North Mesquite, a small wide receiver. I went and seen him practice. He'll never come to KU.

He's too good. I watched him in person. He got bigger offers than I've seen him. He's too good. And then his friend literally asked him, what's his name? He said, Damon Patterson. He said, okay, that's interesting. Let me get back to you.

So Bowen's just like, okay, whatever. So the guy goes back to work, and he's a co-worker with my uncle at the sheriff's department. Hey, what's your nephew's name you keep telling me about in Dallas? And he's like, Damon Patterson. And he's like, I thought so. Calls Bowen back. Y'all might have a chance.

His family lives 20 minutes away. And that's how it all came about with me getting the KU. And Bowen even offered. They didn't even offer me until like a week later. And he called and said, hey, I know I didn't say nothing, blah, blah, blah. I didn't think we had a shot. I just found out you have family 20 minutes away. We're going to offer you.

That might be, you know, something that interests you. But that's literally how it went down of me getting the offer from KU. Just a chance running of somebody working with my uncle that was cool with Bowen and him just saying my name and him recognizing it. And then that's how it went. Wow, that's awesome. Well, before I let you go, do you have a favorite spot in Lawrence, restaurant, bar, I don't know, place to hang out?

Man, so it's crazy. I wasn't a big bar guy. My favorite restaurant was Kobe's Steakhouse. And I went to go last time I was in Lawrence in April, and I think they shut down and I wanted to cry. I was like Lawrence in April, and I think they shut down, and I wanted to cry. I was like, I think it looked like it was shut down, but that was my favorite spot to go. And I blamed my roommate, A.J. Stewart,

because he took his girlfriend out at the time when we had first moved like three minutes away from him. And I was like, how was Kobe? He was like, oh, it's really good, it's really good. It's super expensive, though. So I didn't go for like a year, right, because we're we're in college i'm like there ain't no point of me going so a year later me and my girlfriend go it's not expensive at all we love it we're like you deprived us of a year of coming over here because you're talking about it expensive and you're just

super cheap so that was my favorite spot to go was uh kobe steakhouse to eat it was three minutes from where i lived at an apartment at the time. But, yeah, that was my spot. I stayed there, and I go until this time. Every time I went to Lawrence, I would always go there. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Frank Mason, the former national player there on the basketball court, that was his favorite as well. So you got that in common. Yeah, I'm telling you, eight years after I left KU, I would walk in,

and everybody still knew me by name. We know your order, this and that. That's how often I used to go. Well, Damon, I I would walk in, and everybody still knew me by name, we know your order, this and that. That's how often I used to go. Well, Damon, I appreciate the time, man, and keep up the good work and everything, and maybe we'll talk again down the road. Perfect, perfect. I appreciate you, sir.

That was Damon Patterson. Coming up, we get to our number one question. We're excited to get answered for the upcoming KU football season. Keep it locked in right here on Locked on Jayhawks. Drum roll it for me, please. We are going to get on to our number one question. We're excited to get answered. To finish off our top ten questions, we're excited to get answered for the KU football season. Number one, how much will the Lance Leipold affect and having a full season with a good coach and let's

be honest the best hire ku has made in quite some time how much will all that lead to the football team to have success in year two or how much of this is a long-term project we're going to get that answered this season it might not be till the season is to its full conclusion but you know i was was talking with Scott Chasen earlier this week here on Locked on Jayhawks and we were saying, if you put David Beatty on last year's team, they probably go 0-12. They're not winning the Texas game. They're not winning the South Dakota game. They're micromanaging things. They're not making as smart of play calls. They're not doing a good enough job with X and O, whatever it is. Game management, whatever. It's not going to be as good.

They go 0-12. So you could just say alone, like, that's a two-win improvement from him to the next. Is that enough to say that with – because you did all that last year without spring ball with the new coaching staff and taking over just in camp that fall camp didn't become hey let's evaluate where everyone's at but mainly try to install stuff and get guys in the scheme and whatnot and introduce newcomers it became a man we're evaluating everyone because these are the first times that we've seen everyone play in person as well that made it more difficult you can't plan as much and the game weeks instead of maybe

preparing the whole time you know half the time of your preparation is going to let's still try to figure out who the best player at this position and and try to teach them the fundamentals and do all these things that this staff doesn't want to normally have to do on a week-in week-out basis during the regular season that they want to save for the offseason now you've had that offseason how much is that? And just having guys familiar with the new staff, familiar with the new scheme, and in this Lance Leipold coach team with discipline and everything, is that worth on its own an extra win?

Like, forget the picking the wins losses. Is that just the total value of that worth an extra win for this KU football team? Maybe it's more. Maybe it's not. I don't know. I think it should be, though. I mean, it's certainly a very big part of the game. So you look at year two and having the first full offseason, that on its own makes KU a better football team. But the question is, will that impact of going from what in some years past, right? Like you think of the end of the Charlie Weiss days, you think of the David Beatty days, you think of some of the Les Miles days. In certain regards, KU was not getting much from the head coaching position

in terms of being able to impact games on a week-in, week-out basis. There are certain things some of those guys did well, like Les Miles brought in a bunch of really good players via recruiting and so forth. But for the most part, from a game day standpoint, from an X's and O's, from a game management, from being aggressive on fourth down, that's something the staff did a really good job at last season to try to win on the margins a little bit at certain times from those standpoints you're making such a big increase I think in what you've had in the past to what you have this year and yes you did have it last year because it was the same guy with Lance Leipold but now that he's been in the system a full year I think it is it's twofold of what you got just in improvements on that alone so you're improving on the margins with all these things with Lance Leipold entering

into year two. Is that something that we're more going to see the dividends coming up this year? Or is it going to be something where, okay, those things are all true. They're improving on the margins here, but we're not going to see it in the wins and losses till the team gets more talented around it to take advantage of that. That's a question I'm very interested to see how it plays out this season, but it's hard for me not to feel like, man, this coach is really good. This coaching staff is really good. You're going to have a disciplined, well-coached team. You have a lot more talent this year than you did last year.

You actually have had the full offseason together. It doesn't get fixed overnight. It is a long-term thing. Could that be worth them jumping from two to four wins it's not that crazy when you think about it like he's all that stuff he's all that extra practice is all that extra game management is all that extra development of players worth an extra two games it doesn't seem like that much i mean it is for kansas because it's doubling your win total it's not going from six to eight. And also, you haven't won four games in over a decade.

But again, when you say it like that, it doesn't sound like that impossible of a task for Lance Leipold and company to overcome. So that is the number one question I'm excited to get answered for the start of the upcoming KU football season a week from today. Coming up on Monday's show, we're going to be joined by Shane Jackson, who is going to fill us in on some betting lines, the over-under win total with KU football,

where he would be going with those, and I'll pose some prop questions of my own to Shane coming up on that show. If you have anything you'd like for the show to talk about here with Locked on Jayhawks, or you want to follow along on the action, you can reach out to me at DJohnsonRadio on Twitter. And don't forget to subscribe to the show so you're getting all the latest. Give us a five-star review with Locked on Jayhawks. That'll do it for today's episode. Have a good rest of your day. We've still got a Rock Chalk Sports Talk episode later today from 3 to 6 on KLWN in Lawrence. Have a good one!