They’re young, they’re competitive, and, most important, they’re good. They are Kansas University football’s starting linebackers — Banks Floodman, Gabe Toomey and Nick Reid.

Middle backer Toomey and outside ‘backers Floodman and Reid contributed a combined 28 tackles in last Saturday night’s season opener against Northwestern.

“They played very well. They really did,” KU defensive coordinator Bill Young said.

All three are listed as sophomores, but only Reid, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder from Derby, is a true second-year player. Reid played as a freshman last season. Toomey and Floodman are third-year sophomores.

Floodman, a 6-3, 230-pounder out of Wichita Collegiate, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2002 opener and earned a hardship red-shirt ruling. He played in 11 games as a true freshman in 2001.

Toomey, a 6-4, 235-pounder out of suburban Des Moines, Iowa, signed with Oklahoma out of high school and spent a red-shirt season in Norman, Okla., in 2001. Then he left and played last fall at Iowa Central CC, where he earned NJCAA All-America honors.

Without question, the talented linebacking triumvirate will be the linchpins of a Kansas defense eager to attain respectability as soon as possible.

“We have to feature those guys,” Young said.

Toomey centerpiece

Kansas linebacker Gabe Toomey (1) pursues a ball carrier during practice. Toomey made a dozen tackles in last week's season opener against Northwestern. Fullback Brandon Watkins is at right.

Toomey is the centerpiece. Highly recruited out of high school, the curly-haired Iowan spent his first semester at Oklahoma holding dummies by choice.

“I told the coaches I wanted to red-shirt,” Toomey said. “Hey, they had Rocky Calmus and Teddy Lehman.”

Toomey loomed as a potential replacement for Calmus and Lehman, but he didn’t stick around. He headed home to Iowa, his reasons vague. He says he “didn’t feel comfortable” and that OU “didn’t fit me.”

Toomey hinted, however, he simply wasn’t ready for prime-time, that he needed a year out of the spotlight at a junior college. He was right.

“Off the field I had time there to mature and develop some study habits,” Toomey said.

He also played on the same juco team with older brother Zac, who was a strong safety on the field and a strong influence off the field. The two Toomeys are no longer teammates, but they aren’t far apart. Zac Toomey works on the KU strength staff.

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Iowa State snubbed

Gabe Toomey gave a non-binding oral commitment to Iowa State while in junior college, but changed his mind. He said the Cyclones’ staff wanted to make him a rush end, a position he didn’t want to play.

In the meantime, KU coach Mark Mangino encouraged him to take a recruiting trip to the KU campus.

“I loved everything about the visit,” Toomey said. “And I love coach Mangino. Every place he’s been there’s been a turnaround or a great program. So I decided to give KU a chance.”

Mangino knew of Toomey because he was OU’s offensive coordinator when Toomey spent a season on the Sooners’ defensive scout team.

“He gave us headaches in practice every day,” Mangino said. “When he was available, I thought we would make a run at him and convince him to come to KU.”

After Saturday night, Mangino wasn’t disappointed he had taken the effort. Toomey was credited with a dozen tackles against Northwestern.

“He played well, but he didn’t play flawless,” Mangino said. “He made a lot of plays. I wasn’t really surprised. I guess I expect that from Gabe. I think he expects it of himself.”

KU linebackers Gabe Toomey, left, and Banks Floodman take a break during Tuesday's practice. Starting linebackers Toomey, Floodman and Nick Reid are all sophomores.

Young booster

Young also is a Toomey booster.

“He sees things other linebackers don’t see,” Young said, “and when he tackles people they go backwards.”

Toomey is still, Mangino noted, eight or nine pounds under his ideal playing weight.

“He had to catch up on academics this summer and didn’t get to work out as much as he would have liked to with our strength staff,” the KU coach said. “We haven’t seen the best of Gabe Toomey.”

Quiet out of uniform, Toomey seems to light up when he crosses the white lines.

“Once I’m on the field, that switch turns on, and the emotions set in,” he said.

Mangino learned something else about Toomey. He doesn’t like to lose. Mangino noticed that Toomey took the Northwestern defeat hard.

“It didn’t sit well with him,” Mangino said. “He wanted to go out and play four more quarters, see if we could get a doubleheader out of it. He was still dressed and ready to go well after the game.”

If the future isn’t now for Kansas University football, Toomey believes he and fellow sophomores Floodman and Reid are in the vanguard of the return of Kansas football to a competitive level and perhaps beyond.

Growing together

“It’ll be a fun experience growing together,” Toomey said. “After awhile you start getting comfortable and knowing each other’s tendencies. That’s really exciting, knowing we have three years together.”

They aren’t the only sophomores among the linebackers. Kevin Kane, Toomey’s back-up, is a sophomore, and so is Brandon Perkins, who subs for Reid. Behind Floodman are a pair of juniors, Greg Tyree and Zach Sims.