Kansas linebackers coach Kevin Kane visits with the media Wednesday, Jan 14, 2015, during an introductory session with the KU football teams assistant coaches.

Eight practices are in the books, six remain before the annual spring game on April 25, and the first-year Kansas University football coaching staff is in the process of trying to identify just how much progress the largely inexperienced Jayhawks have made this spring.

Such progress means different things to different coaches, but there are some similarities in how each of David Beaty’s position coaches gauges how far along his group, and therefore the team, has come in the past three weeks.

“It’s just a matter of, are they repeating mistakes,” linebackers coach Kevin Kane said. “Are they repeat offenders? There are gonna be mistakes, but how coachable are my guys, and can they take the mistakes off the film?”

In some ways, that’s a lot to ask of a group playing in a completely new system and under mostly new leadership. But the way these guys see it, allowing the Jayhawks to ease into things sends the wrong message.

“The aspirations and expectations are really high,” wide-receivers coach Klint Kubiak said. “I know that probably looking at them on paper, they shouldn’t be that way, because there’s a lot of young guys. But if you don’t have that mind-set, then they’ll just be average.”

The mind-set of the Jayhawks has been a big part of the equation this spring.

“For me, the biggest thing is just the mental part of it and them taking pride in understanding their assignment,” Zach Yenser of his offensive linemen. “I just want guys to get reps, to improve on a daily basis and to get better with the fundamentals that we’re teaching.”

Of course, there’s more to spring ball than just tracking progress and hoping guys buy in. The 15 spring practices may not be quite as crucial as preseason camp, but they do offer an indication of what the roster includes.

“We keep going back to the optimal weight of these guys,” Yenser said of the O-line. “And they’ve done a really good job of getting where they need to be, and you can see, inch by inch, (they’re) a little bit better with their conditioning, whether it’s through individual (drills) or fighting all the way through team period or having an eight-play drive instead of a six-play drive. Whatever it is, it’s just taking little baby steps.”

There’s a reason that’s important, and Yenser is not afraid to share it.

“I want us to take over this football team and be the leaders,” he said. “Any good football team that I’ve ever been a part of has had leadership and presence from the offensive line.”

Johnson to SC

Former KU safety Isaiah Johnson, who last month announced he was leaving Kansas, has decided to play his final season of eligibility at South Carolina.

Johnson, who earned Big 12 defensive newcomer of the year honors following the 2013 season, made the news official Sunday, saying the opportunity to play for South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier and in the SEC was too great to pass up.

Johnson is scheduled to graduate from KU in May and will be eligible to play immediately via the senior-transfer rule. During his time in Lawrence, Johnson started all 24 games he appeared in and totaled 148 tackles, six interceptions and seven pass break-ups.