Mangino mulling redshirts

Some KU freshmen could play this season

Like most years, Kansas University football’s true freshmen face a staggering uphill battle if they want to play right away.

But it’s not impossible.

Last season, four true freshmen played: defensive tackles Todd Haselhorst and James McClinton, wide receiver Marcus Henry and punter Kyle Tucker. Several other mainstays at KU — such as Adam Barmann, Nick Reid and Kevin Kane — never took red-shirt seasons at KU.

By logic, as KU’s talent improves and gets deeper, it’ll be harder for true freshmen to skip the red-shirt year. But it’s that time of year again anyway, where speculation rumbles like an earthquake regarding the 16 true freshmen and how many could play this fall.

“We’re still not certain about some guys who we might redshirt,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “It’s depending on where they are on the depth chart.”

To narrow it down is to get position-specific. Offensive linemen are the least likely to jump right in, because they usually aren’t physically and mentally ready until after a year of scout-team work and strength and conditioning at the college level.

It appears a true freshman will play some at tight end along with projected starter Derek Fine, a sophomore. Currently, Russell Brorsen is the leading candidate, though Josh Bell is a highly touted prospect out of Hitchcock, Texas, and thought to be a lunker of the 2005 class.

Brorsen moved from defensive end this month and already has caught Mangino’s eye.

“He’s a very intelligent guy,” Mangino said. “Our offense is difficult for the average freshman to pick up very quickly, but he’s been able to do it.”

Another possibility is in the defensive backfield, where any of three freshmen with college-ready bodies — Darrell Stuckey, Arist Wright and James Holt — could earn playing time at safety with a strong August. The two-deep at safety is solid with Rodney Fowler and Raymond Brown at free, and Aqib Talib and Jerome Kemp at strong.

But the chance — and the need for depth — is there.

“It’s definitely a possibility,” safeties coach Clint Bowen said. “Out of those three, they’re all getting reps, and all of them have pretty good talent. As things get farther in camp, one of them may get the nod to be a guy that plays this year.”

There are others: Raimond Pendleton at wide receiver, Alex Hanson at kicker, Justin Thornton at cornerback and Kerry Meier at quarterback.

But perhaps the biggest question comes from one of the highest-rated freshman to join the team — linebacker Brandon Duncan. After a commitment to Texas didn’t pan out, Duncan joined the Jayhawks this summer, spurning offers from over half of the schools in the Big 12 Conference.

Duncan’s situation is unique. A former coach said he could stand to gain weight, and KU’s linebacker fleet is both talented and deep this season.

But if he’s as good as analysts say, Duncan will have something to offer right away — provided the Jayhawks need it.

“We want to give kids a little break here and there, so that in the fourth quarter we can have fresh legs,” Mangino said. “He could be a factor in helping us have those fresh legs. If he can and he’s ready to do it, we’ll play him.”

If not, there’s always the red-shirt option for Duncan and the others — and with it, a long period of anxiety for KU faithful forced to wait another year to see the new guys shine.