Kansas football’s young defensive backs embrace competition
LAWRENCE — As Ra’Mello Dotson watched Kansas football add transfer upon transfer after the conclusion of the 2021 season, he thought about the team’s improved depth.
Dotson, a redshirt sophomore cornerback for the Jayhawks this fall, wasn’t going to be stubborn. He wasn’t going to take it negatively that the coaching staff added transfers — many veteran ones — to the secondary as a whole and his position group. He looked to the positives, that those newcomers filled a need for more experience in his room.
Dotson, sophomore safety OJ Burroughs and others have embodied a mindset both head coach Lance Leipold and defensive coordinator Brian Borland desired for them to have. The transfers — redshirt junior safety Marvin Grant, redshirt senior safety Jarrett Paul, sophomore safety Jalen Dye, redshirt junior cornerback Kalon Gervin and super-senior cornerback Monte’ McGary — will compete for playing time. Dotson and Burroughs are adamant that they’re OK with that.
“Just embracing the competition,” Burroughs said. “Just knowing the people that’s coming in is making everyone better. And that’s all we’re doing every day since fall camp started.”
Dotson, speaking about the experienced newcomers, added: “We need help like that… If somebody’s got to come off the field, another man’s got to step up. And if they know what they’re doing, that’s even better.”
That Burroughs and Dotson would voice that and live up to it is key to what Kansas is aiming to accomplish in 2022 after going 2-10 in 2021. Burroughs and Dotson both played in all 12 games last season, Dotson recording eight starts, on their way to finishing in the top 11 in tackles among Jayhawks and tying for second on the team with one interception each. They were in line for even greater production this fall considering veterans such as safety Ricky Thomas Jr. and cornerback Jeremy Webb finished their collegiate careers last season.
Assuming otherwise would open up the possibility of distractions. Just look at the friendship junior quarterback Jalon Daniels and redshirt senior quarterback Jason Bean have talked about sharing. Leipold has acknowledged that it has made the competition for a starter at that position easier to deal with. Daniels is expected to have the job for the Sept. 2 opener against Tennessee Tech.
“It’s kind of a balance, right?” said Borland, explaining how to manage emotions when experienced transfers are added to the secondary. “So you’ve got to be just smart about how you handle things.”
Borland continued: “And I just tell guys … ‘Be the best version of you that you can be. Make good use of the reps that you have. Make it so that I have to play you, right?’ So just because you’re bringing in an older guy, that doesn’t mean that’s his spot. Everything’s earned here.”
Borland expects Grant to play a lot this season and sees him as an instinctive talent who’s physical, long and tall at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. There’s a chance Grant and senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. share the field together, and that’s why Borland will continue to have those two take reps at each safety spot so they’re prepared to do so. But it’s still early in Grant’s time in Lawrence after transferring in from Purdue, and Borland noted that he has to consider Burroughs, Paul, sophomore safety Edwin White-Schultz and others.
McGary, Paul and Dye are all versatile additions to the secondary. They have experience at each level, and in some respects Borland said it was a conscious decision to find players like that. But Borland also wants them all to be able to fit at the spots they were recruited to, and that’ll take some time as well.
“I don’t want a guy to feel like, ‘I’m the utility infielder, oh I can play anywhere, but I really don’t start anywhere either,'” Borland said. “So trying to get those guys locked into a spot. But we meet together sometimes in the secondary, corners and safeties. We’re meeting together. We’re putting coverages together. So I think you can’t help but know what’s going on back there, just if you’re paying attention. Guys will know it. So if we ever had to flip a guy out there I think we could do that easily.”
Burroughs said he, Grant and Paul have watched a film together and asked each other questions about what they saw. Dotson said strong bonds have already started to form. As fall camp continues, more opportunities are sure to present themselves.
Back at Big 12 Conference media days last month, Leipold mentioned conversations with members of the secondary that were similar to those Borland described during the early days of fall camp. Burroughs was one of the people Leipold spoke with. And in Burroughs’ estimation, talking through it wasn’t all that necessary.
“Just knowing football, that’s what football is about,” Burroughs said. “Just compete. Nothing is going to be given. So, just embrace it.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.