photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas quarterback Montell Cozart (2), who left the game after being injured during the third quarter, watches from the sidelines on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015 at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.

Fourth-year junior Montell Cozart has heard and seen just about everything during his days as a Kansas University football player.

The loudest sounds have come from the doubters.

From the euphoria of leading KU to a shocking Big 12 victory as a true freshman to being named the starter for the season opener twice only to fail to finish the seasons, once because of ineffectiveness and later because of injury, Cozart has put himself out there as the poster child for this era of Kansas football. And not everybody has always liked it.

That the Bishop Miege High graduate keeps getting up and taking it is the reason his teammates follow him as a leader and his coaches hold him up as an example for others.

And that element of his character once again has put Cozart in the crossfire of all kinds of negativity and stinging comments from KU fans tired of watching the same scene play out year after year.

“We’ve already seen what he can do,” the fans say.

“He’s not a Big 12 quarterback,” the critics sing.

Cozart, who has a strong presence on various social-media sites, hears every word. But he has yet to let it bother him or alter the way he goes about his business.

“Growing up as a competitor, you have those people who kind of talk down on you, and you use that as your motivation,” he said. “I don’t let that stuff bother me.”

But that’s not to say that the negativity does not irk some of his teammates.

“It really sucks to see,” junior linebacker Joe Dineen said. “But he just brushes it off. I’ve never seen it get to him. Not even once.”

Cozart is currently locked in a battle with sophomore Ryan Willis, among others, to become KU’s starting quarterback for the 2016 season. It’s a wide-open race at the moment and one that second-year coach David Beaty thinks will be incredibly competitive and carry on well into preseason camp.

Up 10 pounds from last year’s playing weight and flourishing in the new offense now called by Beaty, Cozart is excited about the outlook for his fourth season as a Jayhawk and believes this will be his best season yet.

Most KU fans don’t seem to see that on the horizon, and most of their skepticism is based on Cozart’s sluggish spring game back in April, during which he threw three interceptions and nearly tossed two more.

“That does not reflect in the tiniest bit how he played during the spring,” Dineen said of his QB’s off day. “It just sucks because that one was in front of people.”

Added Cozart, who now weighs 205 pounds and says he feels just as fast and elusive as ever: “I found myself forcing a lot of things that I wouldn’t ever do (that day). … Throw that one out. Scratch that out the book. Rip it out.

“We have this new offense that I do feel like will suit me better than in the past and give me the chance to use my talents to the best of my ability. And I’m just excited to get back out there and play football.”

If he does that to the level that inspired Beaty to call his performance this spring “phenomenal” earlier this week at Big 12 media days in Dallas, then fans of Kansas football finally may get to see the side of Cozart that he and his teammates believe is there.

If not? It could be more of the same, with Cozart sent to the bench and Twitter abuzz with fans insisting he can’t play.

“Our guys know quarterback is no different for us than it is to play defensive tackle,” Beaty said. “You get what you earn. … So I’m not saying that we will pull ’em quick, because I do believe that quarterbacks have to work their way through things. But they know if they exemplify characteristics that are not common to what we expect there, the next guy is going to get a shot.”