The Big 12 announced which players have received the honor of representing their schools at the conference’s Media Day in Dallas, July 20-21.

Eight of the 10 schools will be represented by at least one football player who earned either first-team, second-team or honorable mention on last year’s All-Big 12 team.

Kansas University, which finished ninth with a 1-9 record in conference games, and winless Iowa State are the lone exceptions.

Lack of depth is KU’s greatest concern in the upcoming season, one played against a particularly brutal schedule. But unlike last season, when depth was a problem, star power also is lacking.

NFL draftees Ben Heeney, Dexter McDonald and JaCorey Shepherd, as well as first-team, all-conference punter Trevor Pardula, second-team tight end Jimmay Mundine and All-Big 12 honorable mention recipients Michael Reynolds and Cassius Sendish must be replaced. Speedy running back/receiver Tony Pierson is gone as is Corey Avery, last season’s leading rusher who was dismissed for violating team rules.

In selecting the three players who will represent Kansas in Dallas at Media Day, first-year head coach David Beaty didn’t have much from which to choose in terms of veteran players with name recognition.

Tre’ Parmalee, who caught four passes in 2014, is the only wide receiver on the roster who caught any. Quarterback Montell Cozart, had he been selected, would have spent the day answer questions about his disappointing 2014 season (five touchdown passes, seven interceptions, 50 percent completion rate, 11 sacks, 52 rushes for 63 yards without a touchdown).

De’Andre Mann is the lone player listed on the 2015 roster at running back who had any carries last season. He ran hard, played well, but his concussion history leaves him in limbo for the upcoming season.

The entire secondary is new and Courtney Arnick, with 11 career starts, is the only linebacker with significant experience as a KU starter.

That leaves tight end, the offensive line and the defensive line. Again, not a great deal of experience anywhere.

My guess was KU would send Ben Goodman, Arnick and either Jordan Shelley-Smith or Ben Johnson.

Beaty decided on Goodman, Johnson and Shelley-Smith, who have a combined 26 starts. Only one of the three, Goodman (24 starts), has started more than two games. Shelley-Smith started a game at tight end as a red-shirt freshman and another at right tackle as a sophomore.

Established players who have emerged as leaders at their position and have the maturity to represent their schools well in the spotlight generally earn such honors. Arnick and the three selected to go to Dallas all fit the good-face-of-the-program end of the qualifications.

As far as established players with national name recognition, Kansas does not have any, which is why the hope is that newcomers will pick things up quickly and become even better players than the coaches thought they recruited.