Secondary still the strongest

Say this for Kansas University football coach Turner Gill: He’s consistent.

Although Gill has been a little vague with some of his information throughout spring practices, one unit has remained on the tip of his tongue.

“I would have to say the secondary,” Gill said Monday. “I would say it has the best depth and that’s why they’ve stood out. There continues to be one, or a group of guys, week after week, even day after day, who stands out.”

Freshman cornerback Tyler Patmon said Monday that eight players still were battling for the two starting cornerback positions and he offered his thoughts on why the defensive backs have stood out to Gill: “Man, we’re all good. That’s why we’re one of the only groups that doesn’t have a depth chart yet. We all can play, we all go hard.”

In addition to possessing talent and speed, the secondary also is equipped with a little more confidence. After playing a lot of zone during the 2009 season, Patmon said he expected this year’s group to display more man-to-man coverages.

“That’s a lot more fun,” he said. “At corner, you’re out there on an island so there’s more pressure, but that’s what we’re made to do. We gotta have that swagger.”

Asked how he could emerge from the pack during Saturday’s spring game, which kicks off at 1 p.m., Patmon did not hesitate to answer.

“You gotta hope the plays come to you, and when they do you gotta make ’em,” he said. “You get one chance, you gotta make it.”

QB competition likely to extend into fall

The highly-competitive battle to become KU’s starting quarterback, which has included six guys this spring, is expected to continue for the next several months.

Monday, Gill said the following about the arms race: “There won’t be a complete decision as far as the quarterback spot after Saturday’s scrimmage. It’s definitely going to go into the fall camp.”

Gill the sprinter?

When asked Monday which member of his team would have won the 100-meter dash at last weekend’s Kansas Relays, Gill answered with a definitive, “Me.” He went on to include: “It would have to be a 60-yard one, though. I don’t know if I could handle that.”

After the laughter dispersed, Gill said Daymond Patterson, D.J. Beshears and Isiah Barfield likely would reach the finish line first.

A family affair

KU coach Turner Gill saw a couple of familiar faces at the end of Monday’s practice. Daughters Jordan, a sophomore at KU, and Margaux, who’s in town from Buffalo on Spring Break, watched dad’s crew go through the final few drills Monday at the practice fields.