KU football’s defensive line comes into the 2023 season with support, but a lot to prove

Kansas football’s defensive line has been a topic of conversation this offseason, and a significant part of that have been the familiar questions surrounding the Jayhawks’ pass rush.
In 2022, the team had to find a way to move on after Kyron Johnson turned pro. In 2023, the team will have to find a way to move on after Lonnie Phelps Jr. turned pro. Considering how productive both of those players were, leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss in each of their respective final seasons, it’s an understandable point of emphasis.
But Kansas isn’t just looking to replace a quality pass rusher this fall, it’s also looking to replace a significant amount of experience and production along the defensive line as a whole. That was brought up during Big 12 Conference media days earlier this month in Arlington, Texas. And while head coach Lance Leipold and his players expressed confidence in the defensive line and defense as a whole, there’s still a lot to prove.
“I’ve seen those guys working in the weight room, I’ve seen them working on the field, I’ve seen the amount of extra work that they’ve been putting on the field,” junior quarterback Jalon Daniels said about the newcomers the Jayhawks brought in on the defensive line. “You come into a program and you don’t really know how things are ran, but they came in and they jumped in with the group.”
Daniels continued: “Extra work is on them, like, it’s not something we’ve got to tell you. They’re doing all of that themselves, because they’re hungry enough to want to go out there and do so. So, I’m very confident in what we have the ability to do this year.”
It’s true, there have been a lot of additions for defensive ends coach Taiwo Onatolu and defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos to work with — along with their returnees.
There are transfers with potential: redshirt sophomore defensive end Dylan Brooks (Auburn), redshirt senior defensive end Patrick Joyner Jr. (Utah State), redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Austin Booker (Minnesota), redshirt senior defensive lineman Devin Phillips (Colorado State) and redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Gage Keys (Minnesota). There are freshmen: defensive end Tony Terry, defensive lineman Marcus Calvin and defensive lineman Blake Herold.
But Phelps, Malcolm Lee, Caleb Sampson and Sam Burt all finished their careers in 2022, and Phelps — who started 12 of his 13 games — is the only one who didn’t start all 13 among those defensive linemen.
Leipold and company don’t have five of their top seven tacklers, along the defensive line, back in 2023. Of the sacks and tackles for loss collected by Kansas defensive linemen in 2022, the players who’ve returned did not account for the majority of them. Junior defensive lineman Jereme Robinson and redshirt senior defensive end Hayden Hatcher are among the returnees who’ll be relied upon to step up alongside their new teammates.
“As we know, we’ve got to be better defensively — especially on third downs,” said Leipold, whose team reached a bowl game in 2022 in the second year of his rebuild. “We’ve got to get those things, and I think our, again, we may rotate more in … two-deep, up front, in situational things. So, we’ll keep doing that and we need that. But I know we have enough experience now, especially on the back half, to get us there.”
So many of the linebackers and defensive backs are back from last year’s Jayhawks squad, and there were some additions as well who should at least help with depth. Whether that means those areas will be strengths for the team, comparatively to the defensive line, will be determined in time. But it should allow for the defense to do more things to help the defensive line, as Leipold alluded to.
Senior linebacker Rich Miller said the biggest steps forward the defense is going to take this year will be when everyone knows their assignment and plays more physical. The latter was certainly an emphasis during the program’s spring practices.
And senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. provided his perspective on the defense’s goals, too.
“We’ve got great guys that came in, can help beef up our defense, I would say,” Logan said. “The whole back seven came back. Just being able to go out there and make sure we’re complimenting our offense. You saw glimpses of it in the beginning of the year. You saw glimpses of it down the road. But just making sure we’re more consistent on who we are and being more physical.”