Kansas City, Mo. ? Kansas University football coach Mark Mangino hopes Adam Barmann can drive KU’s offense this season.

Mangino just isn’t quite ready to hand the sophomore the keys.

Kansas University football players Banks Floodman, left, and Joe Vaughn, right, are the center of attention during the Big 12 Conference media days. Floodman, Vaughn and coach Mark Mangino met the press Thursday in Kansas City, Mo.

“I think our offense can be pretty good,” Mangino said Thursday on the third and final day of the Big 12 Conference’s media days. “But our offense goes as the quarterback goes. It starts up front with the blocking, but the quarterback is the chauffeur, and he has to get it rolling.”

Barmann, a sophomore, started three games last season in place of injured starter Bill Whittemore and passed for 564 yards and four touchdowns.

The Weston, Mo., product had intended to take a red-shirt season before Mangino started him in the ninth game of the season.

“That was the right thing to do,” Mangino said. “Bill went down, and we felt like Adam was the next guy that should be playing. He’s also the guy of the future. The experience he had last year will help him immensely when he gets started this year.”

But Barmann might not start.

City College of San Francisco transfer Jason Swanson struggled in the spring, but the junior has made strides during the offseason. He passed for 3,652 yards and 27 touchdowns in two seasons at CCSF.

“Adam Barmann has the edge going into training camp,” said Mangino, whose players report Aug. 6. “He’s played at this level. He knows the system, and he’s been with us for an entire year. But Jason Swanson’s not to be discounted. He just has to learn our system. He was only on campus for a semester. He’s working hard to learn everything. We do a lot of checking at the line. We do a lot of things on offense. You have to be pretty knowledgeable of the system, and that’s what Jason is working on.”

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The quarterbacks will be battling to replace a quarterback who was as dangerous running the ball as he was throwing it.

“Jason and Adam can do those same things that Bill did,” Mangino said. “Are they going to be able to do them as well right off the bat? No, Bill was a special player, but they will be able to execute the offense.”

While Swanson has improved, so has Barmann.

“He’s a strong-armed guy,” Mangino said. “He spent a lot of time in the weight room. I think he wants to look like a linebacker.”

KU football coach Mark Mangino is interviewed by FOX Sports Net during Big 12 media days.