Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - RETAIN & BOLSTER: Kansas Defense Can THRIVE if with the Right Transfer Portal Additions & Returners

Starting point is 00:00:00 If KU can bring back a lot of their studs on the defensive end and attack these positions in the portal, it might have something working for D.K. McDonald, potentially in year two under Lance Leopold. 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. This is Locked on Jayhawks and thank you for joining us, part of the Locked on podcast network, the number one sports podcast network. On today's episode of the show, we are going to be breaking down the Kansas Jayhawks defense and things they need to do in the off season, positions they need to attack in the transfer portal to bolster what they could potentially have coming back. I kind of like some of the guys they could have coming back as long as they can retain them. But you've got to make it happen to be able to make these other additives to be a good defense next season. So we're going to break that down on today's episode of the show. And we are brought to you by FandualSportsbook.

Starting point is 00:01:08 If you want to get in on the action this season, visit fanduel. Place your NFL bets over at Fandwell. You can get your college football bets. Who's going to win the national title in the bracket? You can get your early college basketball futures as well. Visit them all on Fandual. Okay. So I think we'll get to the starters for KU.

Starting point is 00:01:26 what starters this K you need to add. Then we'll get to the depth and then maybe some positions or things that they don't need via the transfer portal. But let's kind of start here. I think the first step you need to do is figuring out what you're going to be. And what I mean by that, I think it all starts with is D.K. McDonald's still the guy. I think that I'm kind of under the assumption he's going to be back. Again, the buyout here, as we've talked about, I think it's like a million, maybe even more than that. And again, you can get into a kind of, I don't know, easy debate of like, okay, would you rather have two really good portal additions?

Starting point is 00:02:02 Would you rather, and I don't know, the current prices. Is that one good portal edition? Is it three? Is it two? Whatever. With a new defensive coordinator or I'm sorry, with D.K. McDonald or would you rather not have any of those portal additions, but lose D.K. McDonald and get a different coordinator.

Starting point is 00:02:17 And I don't know what the right answer is necessarily, but you do need to figure it out. And I will say, there was a lot there on the defense that I think left a lot to be desired. And, you know, I would be okay if they wanted to make a move there, even given the financial restraints potentially. At the same point in time, I will say, I'm not going to just box myself in and say that, like, okay, it was one year. And I think the thing that was most frustrating with the one year was the consistent week-to-week approach, almost of like guys just aren't lining up right guys aren't doing their assignment right like

Starting point is 00:02:56 well at some point that's that's on the coach to get that stuff right um but i think when you look at d k mcdonald's defense it becomes a little complicated in terms of how you want to play formationally so kansas was playing four three and a four two five kind of splitting between those two under Brian Borland and that leads to you know specific defensive linemen you're looking at two defensive ends you're looking at two defensive tackles you're looking at getting linebackers you're looking at getting somebody specific to fill that hawk position right well in this defense under dk mcdonald we saw some three down uh three linemen we saw some four down and then we saw somewhere it was three defensive tackles and two defensive ends who would basically drop in coverage

Starting point is 00:03:41 it was the weirdest thing right and so are you wanting to continue to be multiple or are you wanting to eventually be a full-on three-man front team like Iowa State had been under Matt Campbell when D.K. McDonald was there? Was this just a transition here? And that's going to be the ultimate goal. And if you are going to be a three-down front team, it changes the types of guys you're recruiting. It changes some of the players in terms of, you know, the defensive ends and defensive tackles. You kind of become tweeners. Like a three-down, a three-man front defensive end is going to, to be a a block eater essentially a little bit more than a defensive end in a four man front is going to be right and in a three man front your defensive ends might not be premier pass rushers in a four man front you want your defensive ends to be good pass brushers so like it's just a little bit different on what you're asking for um I tend to think like the one positive if you do go to the three man front it'll obviously be an adjustment period typically I would think via the transfer portal

Starting point is 00:04:47 like quarterbacks are probably getting the highest dollar probably offensive and defensive line or getting the next biggest dollar. I mean, those guys are tough to find. So like theoretically, if you're Kansas and you have to get one less defense alignment and now the defense alignment you're going for are more of the big dudes who can hold up in the run

Starting point is 00:05:04 as opposed to the guys who get paid for getting eight sacks in a season, maybe that can save you a little bit of money to use elsewhere. I don't know. That would be kind of the positive there. But then you get into a question of, like, what does that mean for the current guys? Like, Blake Harold, maybe he doesn't want to play in a three down front. Maybe he would leave because of it.

Starting point is 00:05:21 What if, you know, potentially like you don't have the true nose tackle and you have to go out in the portal and get them, right? Maybe you look at the addition you made with Gibriel Condé and you're like, hey, he actually would fit perfectly is playing kind of a defensive end at a three-man front. So I do think that's interesting. You have to figure that out first to what you want to be with how you're going to attack the portal, right? And what positions that you want. And then I think the next step here is making sure you're bringing back the right guys. Like there is a chance that you have 10 or 11 of your starters already figured out. I don't think that's in all likelihood like somebody will leave or somebody else will get beat out or you have a guy who looks like a returning starter or not necessarily returning, but looks like they'll shoe into the starter next year and you'll recruit somebody who's better than them.

Starting point is 00:06:04 Like those are all things that can happen. But like theoretically, let's say if we're going with the four man front defense, right? I mean, theoretically I could say, okay, Alex Bray was a rotational. guy. He's going to start. Leroy Harris. He'll start. Blake Harold and Marcus Calvin at the interior of the line. Then you have Trey Lathen, Joseph Sipp, as linebackers. Jalen Todd and Austin Alexander as corners. Mason Ellis is kind of the hawk role. And then Lyric Rawls and Taylor Davis at safety. And that doesn't mean everybody's perfect there. It doesn't mean there are certain players that you shouldn't try to get competition for. But point being, you at least have a very good

Starting point is 00:06:37 idea of who the starter could be at each of those positions. And that doesn't even take into account like some guys who, okay, what about if John John Kamara continues to ascend? What if Joliel Hurley or Jareil Conday or whatever, right, Dax really like make kind of a move in that way? And then I think the next question is, can you find a perfect player for that linebacker safety hybrid role? Regardless whether you're playing the four-man front, the three-man front, the five-man front,

Starting point is 00:07:03 I think it behooves Kansas to basically say, hey, instead of having a third linebacker, we're going to have a third safety, basically. but you want that safety to be somebody who can be used like a linebacker but has coverage skills like a safety. And maybe that is Mason Ellis. Mason Ellis was off to a good start. The season struggled a bit down.

Starting point is 00:07:22 The chapter he came back from injury who was probably playing through some stuff, right? Maybe he's the guy. Maybe it's Josh Galbraith, a young freshman who I'm really high on and probably profiles to being that down there. Maybe it's moving John John Kamara to that position and using his athleticism to the maximum ability or maybe it's finding somebody like you did when you found Craig Young. So I think that would be something to look at, and a lot of those are just kind of internal questions. Now, the first external question I have for can you bring in a player like this in the transfer portal,

Starting point is 00:07:51 I would be looking for a strong side defense event. I know you have Alex Bray potentially could be the starter for you this upcoming season, and I don't think that'd be the worst thing in the world. Like, that'd be fine for KU. If you bring on like another Alex Bray level player, basically, and you have a rotation of those two, that's fine, but I don't view Alex Bray as being a game changer. I view him as somebody who's more just like he'll hold your own. He had a 61 PFF grade, which basically, yeah, just kind of doing your job,

Starting point is 00:08:22 but you're not necessarily like getting a bunch of sacks, which you didn't have any sacks, right? And I look at Justice Finkley, who gave a little more juice, 67 PFF grade was kind of a little more hit or miss, a little inconsistent with which games he would play really well. others he did not but you didn't get nearly the sack production from the strong side defensive end spot this season as you did the year before when you had like Jeremy Robinson and so I would almost view looking at it as like can you get a a starter level strong side defensive end that you pair with Alex Bray that now you have a really good rotation as opposed to saying Bray's the starter and we'll bring somebody in behind him um again if Bray improves then that's a different conversation now

Starting point is 00:09:04 Now, the other route to doing this could be internal. Like, what if you do decide to move Leroy Harris to the strong side, a defensive end? And then what if you had Dak Brinkley starting at weak side? Brinkley and Harris were both really good for KU this year. Now, Harris and more snaps, Brinkley got better as the season went on. But, like, I think there's a world where Brinkley ends up being like a really good player in 2026. And if that's the case, you want to get him on the field as much as possible, would it behoove you to just say, hey, we think Harris and Brinkley are two best defensive ends, even though they play this. same spot. Let's see if one of them can play the strong side. Certainly Harris a little bit

Starting point is 00:09:38 bigger than Brinkley in terms of, you know, I guess thickness would make you think that he would be the one that would profile there. And then you just say, hey, you got the two guys there. You have Bray as the backup to the strong side. And then you got some other guys of internal options like Dylan Brooks, what can you do coming off injury? Internal development of guys like, like Holly and Martin of like, okay, they're redshirt freshman. Could they kind to break out like Blake Harold did when he was a redshirt freshman. Maybe that is the answer, but I would certainly be entertaining it. And then I would say this too, like even though you look at the defensive backrooms,

Starting point is 00:10:11 and it is a lot of returning players for KU, right, you look at the corner position, Jalen Todd, Austin Alexander, Syed Gibbs, Joliel Hurley, that could be your top four, right? And you wouldn't really bat an eye if that was your top four coming into the year. You look at the safety positions, Larry Rawls and Taylor Davis, those were your starters. They can come back. Obviously, you lose depth behind them and then Mason Ellis technically, too. But you look at those specifically and it's like, okay, it's returning production, but just because it's returning production doesn't mean you can't try to improve on it, right?

Starting point is 00:10:44 Jalen Todd is somebody who I feel comfortable with in terms of like he had a solid sophomore season and I want to see what he can grow into. And I think there were flashes from Austin Alexander and that make you think that he can become something. But if you get the opportunity to bring in a good corner who can come. in and compete with him for the starting spot where worst case of Alexander is your third corner now or best case he beats him out now you have a good third corner as a vet you brought in I don't think that's a bad idea same with the safety position Taylor Davis really struggled as a sophomore can you find a starting level safety that comes in if he beats out Taylor Davis now you have more safety safety depth with an experienced guy like Davis if Davis beats him out then

Starting point is 00:11:25 that's a good sign for Davis's growth and if that ends up happening then you have another good safety that maybe you can even use as the linebacker safety, hawk roll. So I would definitely be kicking the tires on, you know, some top, you probably just would need one top cornerback, one top safety, a strong side defensive end. But overall, as long as you can retain the guys internally, there's not a ton to get done from the starters perspective.

Starting point is 00:11:49 I think there is a little bit more on the depth side that they would need to get done. So let's get to that next. Thanks for joining us on this episode of lockdown. on Jayhawks, and we were brought to you by Fandual Sportsbook. NFL Sundays move fast. One big play, suddenly everything feels different. That's what makes live betting with Fanduals so exciting.

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Starting point is 00:13:24 defensively i think there is some work to be done in the transfer portal here right Like some of those starter positions are more, I don't know, they're not quite cherry on top. You do need to add like a difference maker here or there, but they are a little bit of like theoretically if you don't add one of those, you have somebody who can fill the position. That's not necessarily true with the depth of the defensive tackle spot. KU has Blake Harold, who I think will be awesome as a Redshirt Jr.

Starting point is 00:13:52 Marcus Calvin, who I think we saw a lot of flashes and I think he'll be a solid player for KU as a Redshirt Jr. You added Jibril Conday, who got a really good scouting report from one of his former high school coaches. It just made me feel even better. I already liked the kid coming in and made me feel even better about what he's kind of bringing to the table. And his high school coach was mentioning how, you know, he's somebody who he was shocked didn't end up getting like a D1 offer. And his high school coach actually played football at Michigan. And he had like, you know, one of his teammates was a coach at Grand Valley State.

Starting point is 00:14:27 we wound up there with kind of a connection there, and they were kind of surprised he didn't, you know, end up at that level. So very clearly a, you know, um, very positive addition, I guess for KU would be the way of putting it. But anyway, you have a freshman in the Quain Carter and then you have a redshirt freshman and

Starting point is 00:14:41 cheese Hammond. You probably could use one, maybe two more additions at the defensive tackle spot. We know KU will, if they have five good ones, they'll play five good ones. They'll rotate them. They have seven.

Starting point is 00:14:53 They'll play seven. They have four. They'll play four, right? And I think you feel good for, for sure about Harold, Calvin, and Conday as being a part of that rotation. Ideally, you want to have at least four, preferably five, right? And maybe Cheese Hammond is a part of that. I think ideally you want to let Carter have to develop as a true freshman.

Starting point is 00:15:10 So yeah, you definitely are looking for something there just to get another body in there that can be helpful for you. Now, going back to the conversation of how does KU want to play this on the defensive line with D.K. McDonald and the different fronts he wants to throw out, that could determine what type of defensive tackle they go for, right? Because if you're looking for more of a gap shooting defensive tackle, which is maybe more of what Condi is, or maybe if you're looking for a little more of, I don't know, a four three defensive tackle versus somebody who's a defensive end in a three down front versus somebody who is a nose tackle in a three down front, those are very different things that you're asking to do. So I think I look at the roster and I'm not sure KU has that like nose tackle.

Starting point is 00:15:51 If they do want to play more of the three down fronts, probably behoove you to add somebody who. is more of a nose tackle in the portal and then maybe you add just kind of I don't know a backup to the nose tackle if you can find it in the portal as well I would also say if you don't end up adding a starting strong side defensive end going back to that conversation you could probably use at least the depth one to be behind Bray but that one is one of those where KU has recruited defensive end consistently well so the staff will know better like the staff will know better what is the rehab process of Dylan Brooks right coming back off injury. Is he going to be able to contribute it all? If so, maybe that's like your transfer portal

Starting point is 00:16:29 edition. Adrian Holly and Garrett Martin were highly recruited defensive ends. Holly was your highest rated recruit in the class of 2025. They both redshirted. Are they guys that are ready to take that step and ready to get playing time? Same with a guy like Caleb Red or, you know, I don't know, are any of those guys ready because that can change your precipice on do we need to add at least a rotational defensive end in the portal? Again, if you have the starter, then you probably don't need to have that conversation, but that'll be something that they know more, I think, a little internally. And then the last one here is DBs. I think from the starting perspective, as we talked about, from the starting perspective,

Starting point is 00:17:03 you were looking specifically for somebody who can move the needle, right? It's like, it's like if you're a baseball team, I know MLB free agency is right now. If you're the Kansas City Royals, do you really spend $5 million to add somebody who's going to play, I don't know, Jonathan India's position if they're basically like, Jonathan, you had like a 90 WRC plus, right? This is probably horrible if you don't watch baseball. Basically, the slightly below league average bat. Would it make sense to add another slightly below average league average bat just to be like,

Starting point is 00:17:39 well, now we have two of them, so maybe one of them a hit? Or does it only make sense to spend resources a second if he's actually better, if he has a 100 WRC plus? If he's a league average bat, right now you're moving the needle. I think that's what makes sense is the starting positions of those DBs. It doesn't make sense to bring somebody in who, who's just as good as Taylor Davis, try to bring in somebody who's better, because then if he beats him out, that means he's improved.

Starting point is 00:18:01 If not, then you got better at the safety position with your addition. The depth conversation is a different conversation. The depth conversation, I don't, I think at the corner position, it's going to just depend on who leaves, because theoretically, if everybody stayed, they'd have Alexander, they'd have Todd, they'd have Gibbs, they'd have Hurley, they'd have Croft, they'd have Davis, they've had Gibson, McCorkle, and then Lenny Brown is. is the one coming in. If everybody ends up staying, you probably don't really need more depth at the corner room. So that'll just be dependent on who leaves. The safety room, you do need more

Starting point is 00:18:32 depth because even the lyric crawls and Taylor Davis are back as starters, both die brothers who play well for you this year, graduate. And so at the very least, you need to pick up some of those steps. Now, like Juan Robinson, who is a former Auburn and Juko guy, he'll be a redshirt senior this year. Maybe he can fill in to one of those roles. Brandi, DeMani Maxon, Darian Jones. These are all players who were former redshirt players. Maxon's a red shirt sophomore. The other one's a red shirt freshman. Can one of them step up into that position, right?

Starting point is 00:19:01 And maybe Robinson and one of those young guys are the answer. But maybe you add one portal addition to add a little more depth to the safety room. And then one of those other guys wins out on the other spot. And then I think the other kind of thing you'd maybe be looking at here is do you look at adding anybody who has multiple years in the same way that you added Julio Hurley, who was a redshirt sophomore last year, Richard Jr. this year, just to add some more talent into the room that you can kind of develop at one of these different positions. What are some spots that Kansas doesn't need in the

Starting point is 00:19:31 transfer portal? I know that sounds crazy to say with some of the defensive tribes and tribulations this year. We'll get to that next. Today's episode of the show is brought to you by Rougiet. And with Rouguette, we're going to talk about something that most men don't bring up, but absolutely should. Stress from work, money, and life. It doesn't. doesn't just switch off at night. When it shows up at the worst possible time, Ruggiat Ready is designed to help you take back control. Ruggia Ready is a next generation prescription treatment

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Starting point is 00:20:31 Do it 15% off your first order for a limited time. Ruggiat ready, feel present, feel confident, feel ready. Thanks for joining us on Locked on Jayhawks again. And thanks for tuning into the podcast coming up later this week. We're going to preview the KUNC State game. we get to some more KU basketball and KU football content throughout the week here on L.O.J. What are some positions that KU doesn't need in the portal on the defense event? And again, thank you every day or you already did.

Starting point is 00:21:01 And if you haven't already, check out what they need on the offensive end from yesterday's episode. They don't need a weak side defensive end. I don't think, again, this is all pending. Like if anybody leaves, then that changes the numbers. That changes the precipice. But as right now, Leroy Harris, good player, Dack Brinkley, burgeoning into a really good player for KU. Now, if you move again, Harris or strong side defensive end, as we discussed earlier in the show, maybe that's a different conversation and then maybe you need to add a

Starting point is 00:21:30 weekside defensive end to add more depth there. But as of right now, Harrison Brinkley, I would feel great about that one-two punch at the weak side defensive end for KU. And that still leaves open the opportunity for the third string, whether it would be a Caleb Red, who would be a redshirt sophomore in 2026, whether that's one of those youngsters, Holly or Martin. Again, I don't know if they're profiling into being more of a strong side or weak side. But I feel good about the weak side spot, at least on the too deep for KU right now. I would say linebacker is actually a spot you don't need, which that has got to be refreshing. Now, if you do want to add a linebacker who has multiple years left to play to develop,

Starting point is 00:22:01 I think that's fine. But for once, and I'll be interested to see, does that lead to some level of increased play and continuity from KU at the linebacker spot? Because really the only continuity they've had recently was when Rich Miller was coming coming back for he was what a two or three year starter for k u um and even then he was a former transfer but like that's kind of the case with these guys too tray lathen and joseph sip redshirt seniors uh Logan brantley redshirt junior been in the program while now john john kamara looked like he was starting to have things click for him he'll be a redshirt sophomore seems like

Starting point is 00:22:36 malachi curvy was a former really highly recruited player for you as well that a lot of schools wanted um he'll be a redshirt freshman i feel really good this is this is the best i will have felt about the linebacker room for KU in quite some time. I felt better about it, you know, coming into last year than I did in previous years. And, you know, even though there were some still warts and missed tackles here and there, it's still wound up being KU's most athletic linebacker room and one of the better ones that they've had. And now I think it's going to be even better next year because I assume when you bring

Starting point is 00:23:05 these guys back, I think Trey Lathen as a senior would be a monster. I think Joseph Sip can give you some similar stuff to Bengali Kamara. I think actually a better tackler than Kamara, not as athletic. but John John Kamara gives you the athleticism right back right and then Josh Galbraith in there too again whether you view them as a linebacker or safety you don't need to add a linebacker and that's kind of a nice place to be as long as you can retain your guys and the last one would be here again like cornerback depth I don't think they need add cornerback depth unless a lot of these young players leave do you want to add a starting level corner to push some of the guys yes absolutely

Starting point is 00:23:39 do you need to add some depth no I don't think you really need to do that all right that'll for this episode of Locked on Jayhawks, you can find our show anywhere you get your podcast. Make sure you subscribe and follow so you can get all of our latest stuff. And did you know, Locked on Jayhawks can make your Spotify rap? You can prove it on social media to secure a free month of our brand new Every Day or Club. Just tag our national Lockdown podcast network account on any social platform and we'll drop you a code. Be one of the first to join the Every Day or Club to get your favorite show, ad free and exclusive access to the members only Discord channel.

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Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - RETAIN & BOLSTER: Kansas Defense Can THRIVE if with the Right Transfer Portal Additions & Returners

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