Mangino: KU done recruiting defense

Kansas University football fans hoping for more late additions to the Jayhawks’ recruiting class might be out of luck.

“We will not be adding any more defensive players or defensive linemen this year,” coach Mark Mangino said Tuesday during a chat on KUsports.com, asked if his staff still was trying to bolster a defense that allowed 30.5 points per game last season.

Mangino didn’t fill his allotment of scholarships on the Feb. 4 national signing day, announcing a class of 18 players. He later added Concord, Calif., linebacker Joe Mortensen and San Diego offensive lineman Matt Darton.

It has been quiet on the recruiting front since then.

Half of KU’s 20 recruits are defensive players, and many will be counted on to make an immediate impact. Some already have.

“Theo Baines is competing for a starting position at one of our corner spots, and I’m really impressed with him,” Mangino said of the semester transfer from Tyler (Texas) Junior College. “He’s a physical player and a good cover corner, too. I think he’s really going to help us.”

Mangino said two other semester transfers — Tyler defensive end Jermail Ashley and San Bernadino Valley defensive back Rodney Harris — also have performed well during spring drills, which conclude with Sunday’s scrimmage.

KU must replace five seniors starters on defense, including three linemen. While Ashley already is on campus, linemen Anthony Collins, Charlton Keith, James McClinton and Todd Haselhorst won’t arrive until summer.

McClinton (6-foot-1, 289) was the 28th-rated defensive tackle in the nation, but Mangino hasn’t penciled him in as a starter.

“Whether James McClinton can play as a true freshman or not remains to be seen when he arrives this fall,” Mangino said. “But it would be unfair to put that kind of pressure on a young man. We’ll just wait and see what happens.”

Mangino confirmed that Haselhorst (6-4, 284 pounds), an all-state lineman from Olathe East who was the 33rd-ranked guard prospect in the nation, will give defense a try.

“We have talked to him about playing defensive line because he is a very athletic guy,” Mangino said of Haselhorst, who won the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive lineman in the metro area. “He has said he’ll do whatever it takes to help the team, and we’ll probably try him out on the defensive line. We think he’s capable of playing either side of the ball.”

The Jayhawks need Haselhorst on defense more than offense, where starting linemen Joe Vaughn, Tony Coker and Bob Whitaker return.

Red-shirt freshman Cesar Rodriguez and junior transfer Matt Thompson are the front-runners to replace offensive tackles Adrian Jones and Danny Lewis.

“The offensive line is progressing very well this spring,” Mangino said. “It has the potential to be the most physical group of offensive linemen we’ve had. We are making great strides in the run game and the pass game, but I am especially impressed with our improvement of blocking in the run game.”

¢

Notes: Mangino said sophomore Adam Barmann continued to hold a “slight edge” over junior transfer Jason Sawnson and junior Brian Luke for the starting quarterback job, a battle the coach expected to “go into August for sure.” … KU will play an alumni game at 1 p.m. Sunday at Memorial Stadium prior to the spring scrimmage at 3 p.m.