Will Memorial Stadium be filled with fans - and an exciting brand of football - this fall? The Jayhawks would seem to have a strong, if thin, defense. Offensively, the Jayhawks will have plenty of holes to fill, but they appear to have several key components.

Who’ll be the quarterback? Who is the leading candidate for fullback? How good will Marcus Herford be at wide receiver? Can Kansas muster more offensive punch than last year?

Journal-World KU football beat writer Ryan Wood sat down with offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Nick Quartaro for answers to those questions and others.

Here is his report:

Q: It’s widely known that a starting quarterback won’t be chosen until this month. When the decision is made, what would the starter have done to make you choose him?

A: The guy that wins the job is going to be the most consistent performer that leads the offense as well as executes the offense.

Those are two real critical areas – that he not only must be able to do the job from an X-and-O and physical standpoint, but he’s got to bring the leadership and the positive attitude, so that the other 10 guys in the huddle really believe you’re the guy to get the job done.

Q: Is this a four-player race? Is freshman Kerry Meier going to get a serious look?

A: You don’t want to put that kind of pressure on Kerry, but there’s no doubt that with all freshman, we give them a legitimate look in preseason camp. Some, by nature of their position, they’re pretty much ticketed for a red shirt. Oftentimes, the skill positions on offense and defense stand the best chance to at least get a look and maybe keep the flame alive that ‘We need to continue to look at this guy until we truly determine if we’re going to use a redshirt or not.’ The tough job is making sure that we’re getting proper work for all of the quarterbacks who are in the hunt.

Clark Green was Kansas' leading rusher last season. He had 87 carries for 309 yards last fall.

Q: Are any other true freshmen going to be considered on offense?

A: Basically, linemen are going to have a tough time jumping in there. It’s very unusual to have an offensive lineman be mentally and physically ready to compete. At the other positions, you give them a look, just like we’re going to give a look to Kerry Meier.

Raimond Pendleton at receiver is a talented young man. Josh Bell at tight end, because we’re not terribly deep there.

As we work into the first week or week and a half, we’ll have a good idea as to “OK, do we accelerate this guy or back off and get the older kids who have been there ready to go play football?”

Q: What’s your assessment of the offensive line?

A: This spring, we ended up having to make a couple of shuffles in the first two weeks. That was a little bit unsettling because that has to be such a cohesive group. Matt Thompson was out at left tackle last year, started the spring at center and then moved over to right tackle. Todd (Haselhorst) comes over from defense and has all the tools to play there, but again, it’s not 1940 where you just block the guy that’s over you every time. There’s a lot of mental stuff that goes into it. So he should be miles ahead come preseason.

We feel a lot better the way spring ended with the group up front. It’ll be very important that the starting five and the couple of key guys that rotate in really bond and settle in well.

Adam Barmann was the jayhawks' top quarterback last fall, but he's not a lock to start again this year.

Q: How has Haselhorst performed at center?

A: There was a lot of pressure on him to, one, know his assignment, because he had no offensive background in our system. It takes a lot of technique work. We’re confident he’ll be fine. We threw a ton at him in a short time. Unfortunately for Todd, what we couldn’t do is slow down the other 10. He had to get up to speed.

Q: Do you think Clark Green, as the featured back, can be the weapon he was in 2003?

A: Clark’s a very strong kid. He has a very good working knowledge of our system. He’s been in it a long time. He has a good mind for the game. Whether it’s running the ball, catching the ball, picking up blitzes, running tough when there’s not much there. Is he the flashiest running back? Maybe not, but that doesn’t matter. Some of the most productive backs in college and the NFL aren’t the flashiest guys. We feel he can do what he did as a sophomore.

Q: Is Green one of your best pass-catching options as well?

A: Absolutely. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but I know he’s knocking on the door of some kind of reception record for backs or something. Whether it’s screens or little swing passes, it’s very valuable. It’s very important for the quarterback to know that, if in doubt, just dump it to the back and he’ll do something.

Q: Coach Mark Mangino said in the spring that Gary Green, as talented as he is, isn’t an every-down back because of his durability. Is that being addressed this summer?

A: He’s doing a good job. What we want to do is play to Gary’s strengths. This past spring was our first real thorough look at him. Last fall we weren’t really sure. As it turned out, we were in good shape with the backs going into preseason, and we chose to red-shirt him, which was a good decision. He’s a very quick guy, very elusive. He’s not the biggest running back around, but he can carry the ball. We need to pick and choose the best things he can do from a running-back position and utilize his other skills, too.

Q: What about fullback?

A: When we use a fullback, which isn’t all the time, he’s primarily a blocker. Really, Brandon McAnderson had a fair amount of playing time last year and showed some really good things at times. Going into this camp, that position is not as highly publicized nor is there as much call for them on the field at all times, but really, it’s a little bit like the quarterback battle. May the best man win, and there’s some good competition there. I think that position will produce one or two guys that will be very solid.

Q: Could wide receiver be the strength of the offense?

A: It could. That’s the operative word. It really could be a strong point. Obviously, with Mark (Simmons) out there, a true seasoned veteran, we’re going to ask Mark to be a good leader and performer for us. You look at the rest of the group, it’s young, but it has a chance. With the addition of Brian Murph this spring, and obviously in the spring game, he showed why we signed him out of junior college. He’s a very hard worker and he brings a little bit of toughness to that group. He’s surprisingly strong for his size and will block and do all the dirty work along with catching the ball. And then Marcus Henry was thrown in the fire last year as a rookie and certainly did not disappoint. He’ll only get better. Marcus Herford was moved out there during the spring and I think he’ll find a real good home there. The guy’s got terrific straight-ahead speed and has size. Again, for him, it’s learning the little nuances, the little things that go into reading coverages, running routes. He’ll be fine in time there, and we think he’ll do a good job.

Q: The offensive coaching staff had a major makeover with the addition of John Reagan (line), Earle Mosley (running backs) and Tim Beck (wide receivers). How has the staff jelled?

A: If it had happened in the summer, it’d be crazy. But the fact that it happened prior to spring and especially as we’re getting ready to break into summer, we’re much more comfortable knowing, not the basics of what we’re doing, but the little things that go into their position in our offense.