Defensive drop-off?

Much of the chatter following Friday’s spring game surrounded the offense and the effectiveness of quarterback Kerry Meier.

But how’s the defense look? After all, it carried KU to the Fort Worth Bowl last season, and has a lot of parts to replace.

“I think we’re going to be pretty decent on defense,” KU coach Mark Mangino said. “We run to the ball well, and we have more speed on defense now than we’ve had at any time since we’ve been here.”

KU returns just one starter in the front seven, defensive tackle James McClinton. Several other projected starters had plenty of work in 2005, though, including ends Paul Como and Rodney Allen.

“You can see the defensive line is a pretty hard-nosed bunch of guys,” Mangino said. “They really jump the ball, are good run-stoppers and we are developing an edge pass rush with that group that’s so important.”

Secondary concerns

There are some concerns with the secondary, though, particularly with the depth.

Aqib Talib has one cornerback spot locked up, while the safety jobs look to go to Jerome Kemp and Darrell Stuckey.

The other corner position is up for grabs, possibly between Blake Bueltel, Mike McCoy and Raymond Brown. Bueltel has been practicing with the first team, but both he and Mangino know that more developing is needed.

“I’m going to need to put on some weight,” said Bueltel, who wants to reach 185 pounds, “but I also need to fine-tune a lot of things, more so than needing to change a lot of stuff drastically.”

Bookman signs

Former KU wide receiver Leo Bookman – better known for his blazing times on the track – has signed a free-agent deal with the Green Bay Packers, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Bookman last played football in 2002, mostly returning kicks. He since has turned pro in track, turning in world-class times in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.