photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas wide receiver Derrick Neal (7) pulls in a pass while warming up prior to kickoff against Baylor on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.

Strangely, the most common friendly feedback I receive these days advises that I write too often about Kansas football players. It generally takes a form similar to, “Just so you know, I’m not interested in their progress until they start winning games.”

Fair enough. Your wish is my command. To show that I don’t turn a deaf ear to such advice, I will not write about Kansas football players today. Instead, I’ll devote the column to interesting tidbits about the football players’ relatives. Siblings, parents, grandparents, uncles, etc. Athletic talent tends to run in families.

Interesting family connections to this Kansas football roster abound.

For example:

Offensive lineman Cam Durley’s brother Aaron Durley was the biggest player in Little League World Series history in 2006, when he stood 6-foot-8 and weighed 256 pounds. He played first base for the American Arabian team from Saudi Arabia, a roster made up largely of Americans who worked for the Saudi national oil company. Cam played for the same team in 2008. By the time Aaron made it to high school, basketball captivated his interest. A backup at Bush High in Houston to Cameron Ridley of Texas fame, Durley played basketball at TCU, but injuries cut his career short.

The Durley brothers’ cousin, J.T. Durley, played basketball at Wichita State and their uncle, James Cotton, played football at Ohio State and in the NFL and CFL.

Cornerback Derrick Neal’s twin brother, Erick, recorded the first triple-double in UT-Arlington history. He totaled 27 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 99-88 loss at Louisiana-Monroe last season.

Derrick missed a high school basketball game to make his recruiting visit to Kansas and in that game, Erick scored the equivalent of the twins’ combined scoring averages.

The coolest name in college football belongs to Solomon Wise, a freshman defensive end at UT-San Antonio. Solomon’s brothers also play college football, Daniel at Kansas, Deatrich Jr. at Arkansas. Deatrich Sr. was chosen in the ninth round by the Seattle Seahawks and also was with the New Orlean Saints and the CFL’s British Columbia Lions.

This next one is one letter shy of having longer odds than winning Powerball. Tight end Jace Sternberger has brothers named Jett and Jax. So do linebacker Joe Dineen and future KU linebacker Jay Dineen, although their brother Jet spells his name with one “t.”

The Dineen boys’ mother, Jodi Oelschlager, played volleyball at Kansas (1986-89). Their grandfather Ron Oelschlager played football for KU (1962-64) with Gale Sayers, and their great-grandfather, J. Roy Holliday played basketball for the Jayhawks (1936-37) and was coached by Phog Allen.

Defensive end Josh Ehambe’s brother Moses played for Oral Roberts when it scored an upset against Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse. Moses went on to set the NBA Development League record for most three-pointers made. He still plays for pay and has had jobs in the D-League and overseas.

Linebacker Keith Loneker Jr.’s father was an All-Big 8 offensive lineman at Kansas and went on to play for the Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons. Keith Jr.’s sister, Kylee, played soccer at Fort Hays State.

Safety Frank Seurer Jr. is son of the former KU quarterback who ranks second to Todd Reesing (11,194 yards) on the school’s all-time passing yardage list with 6,410 yards.

Quarterback Ryan Willis not only is the son of former Kansas State kicker Steve Willis, but younger brother to sisters Lauren, a former Oklahoma basketball player, and Abby, an ex-St. Louis University basketball player.

Running back Khalil Herbert’s brother, Treyvion Foster, is a wide receiver at Stanford.

Cornelius Arnick, brother of KU linebacker Courtney Arnick, started four seasons at linebacker for Tulsa and led the team in tackles in 2011.

Long snapper John Wirtel’s cousin Jacob Bushue is involved in a kicking game as well. He plays soccer at Indiana.

Wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II is the son of Kwamie Lassiter, a defensive back at Kansas (1992-94) and for 10 years in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Rams after going undrafted.

Center Joe Gibson’s great-uncle Ray Evans is considered one of the greatest Jayhawks ever, having stood out in football and basketball. He’s a member of the college football Hall of Fame. Gibson’s father, Paul Gibson, played football at Pittsburgh State, and Paul’s brother Harry played basketball at KU.

Offensive tackle Jordan Shelley-Smith’s father, Dennis Smith, was an offensive lineman for Baylor, the New York Jets and Washington Redskins.

Camren Torneden, older brother of freshman safety Bryce, played football at Central Missouri and then Baker. He was Free State High’s quarterback, as was Bryce, and graduated six years before Bryce.

Running back Reese Randall is brother to former KU football player Preston. Their brother, Hogan, plays football at Washington University in St. Louis. Their father is a team orthopedist at KU.

Safety Fish Smithson’s brother, Shaky Smithson, played wide receiver at Utah and then the Green Bay Packers.

Offensive lineman Chris Hughes has a pair of brothers: Camrhon, who played football for Texas, and Naashon, who still does.

O-lineman Larry Hughes’ father, Bill Hughes, played football at Maryland.

Freshman wide receiver Keegan Brewer not only has the team’s best first name, he has a sister who plays soccer at Oklahoma City University and parents who both played soccer at Friends University in Wichita.

Cornerback Ian Peterson’s brother, Stephen Williams, played football at Sam Houston State. Cousin Aaron Williams, a former Texas Longhorn, plays for the Buffalo Bills.

Right tackle D’Andre Banks’ father, Andrew Banks, played football at Purdue.

Running back Ryan Schadler’s cousin, Steven Mathias, played football at Kansas State.

Linebacker Cameron Rosser has a pair of brothers who played college football: Steven Miller at UCLA and Sean Miller at UNLV.

DeAnte Ford’s brother, KaTrae, played football at UTEP, and their father played football at Texas Southern.

Quarterback Carter Stanley’s cousin, Jimmy Meyer, played the same position at Harvard.

Here’s hoping all of those tired of reading about Kansas football players enjoyed the one-day shift to reading about their relatives.