Mark Mangino would like to see more of Travis Watkins.
More specifically, Kansas University's football coach would like to see more of Watkins on the field, and a lot less of the Jayhawks' co-captain on the sideline.
"Travis Watkins has the potential to be a very fine player in our program. However I have not seen Travis play very much since I've been the head coach at Kansas because of his injuries," Mangino said Monday during a chat on kusports.com.
Watkins started 10 of 11 games for former coach Terry Allen as a red-shirt freshman in 2001 and made 38 tackles with two sacks. A foot injury limited his effectiveness during his sophomore season -- Mangino's first -- and Watkins made 37 tackles with zero sacks in 12 games.
The 2002 season was the defensive tackle's nadir. He suffered a broken foot during a preseason scrimmage and played in only two games.
"Travis will be 100 percent this spring, and he will practice the entire spring," said Mangino, whose team will begin spring drills March 14. "If his injuries slow him down in the spring, which I don't think they will, I find it unlikely that he could be a major contributor in the fall. But as of right now, he looks good, is moving around very well and we have high hopes for him."
Defensive line will be a point of emphasis in the spring for KU, which must replace senior starters Cory Kipp, Sid Bachmann and Reggie Curry. Juniors Monroe Weekley and Chuck Jones, who made five combined starts, left the program after the regular season.
Junior end David McMillan is the only starter returning on the line. Watkins and sophomore Tim Allen are the most experienced players among the returning tackles.
"Our defensive line must improve for our defense to improve overall," said Mangino, whose defense allowed averages of 28.3 points and 392.6 yards in 12 regular-season games. "I think this spring will tell the tale on which veterans are going to line up in the fall, or if we're going to rely mostly on newcomers."
Chat wrap with coach ManginoKU will have one new defensive end on campus for spring drills -- Tyler (Texas) Community College transfer Jermail Ashley. More help will arrive in the summer in the form of Beaumont, Texas, end Anthony Collins; Minnesota West Community College end Charlton Keith; and Garland, Texas, tackle James McClinton. Coaches also will have to decide which side of the ball Olathe East standout Todd Haselhorst will be used.
¢Looking ahead: When Kansas runs through its first open spring practice March 15 on the field behind Anschutz Pavilion, fans will have a chance to check on the progress of redshirts such as freshman receiver Tony King and junior linebacker Zach Mims.
"As is the case with most of our red-shirted players, Tony King needs to continue to have a great winter conditioning and spring ball," Mangino said. "He is very talented and must mature physically and emotionally, as is the case with a lot of our young guys, so that he can contribute this fall. Zach Mims has gotten stronger and more physical. We look for him to contribute to the improvement of our defense."
¢Office space: Mangino reiterated that he wants a football-only facility at Memorial Stadium.
"We need to upgrade in nearly every area," said Mangino, who would like to move the football offices to the stadium. "Our stadium looks good, and our press box represents our program very well. But KU football needs to have its own facility, like most of its competitors in the Big 12. Currently, with the exception of the stadium and press box, KU football has very little else that it calls its own.
"I am very proud of our new weight facility that Dana Anderson and his family have provided for us. That facility is state of the art. And even though the stadium is ours, we still share that with track events."
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