photo by: Nick Krug

A newly-mustachioed Kansas linebacker Joe Dineen laughs with his teammates during practice on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017 at the practice fields west of Hoglund Ballpark.

Kansas junior linebacker Joe Dineen knows enough football that the quantity of tackles a player makes isn’t always as important as the quality. He has identified making more stops closer to the line of scrimmage and in the backfield one of his main goals heading into his junior season.

As much as he loves to be on the field, he also knows it’s not the quantity of plays for him that will be as important as the quality. To that end, Dineen said he thinks the team’s improved depth at linebacker will help him to stay fresh enough to be at his best.

“Toward the end of my sophomore year I was playing full games and I liked it because you can get in a rhythm,” Dineen said. “But you really do get exhausted going against teams that go fast, fast, fast. It just happens. Sometimes, the offense goes three and out and you have to go right back on the field and you don’t get that break. That’s why depth in the Big 12 is one of the most important things.”

Dineen is convinced the Jayhawks have it at linebacker, even if most of the players there lack significant experience.

“We have a ton of (linebacker) depth,” Dineen said. “Denzel (Feaster), Keith (Loneker), Osaze (Ogbebor), Dru Prox. And Kyron Johnson, he goes to be good for us.”

A true freshman, Johnson participated in spring practice and exhibited impressive agility and speed.

“He’s going to be good for us,” Dineen said. “He’s a freshman. he’s got some learning to do and he needs to put weight on, but he’s ahead of where most freshmen are at this point. He’s fast. He can move, athletic.”

A 6-foot-1, 210-pound native of Arlington, Texas, Johnson weighs what Dineen did two years ago. Dineen has put on 20 pounds since then and said he doesn’t think it has slowed him down any. Prox, a 6-1, 215, redshirt freshman is “another guy who needs to put a little bit of weight on, but he can fly.”

Dineen has one starter spot locked up and Loneker appears to lead Ogbebor in a close race for the other starting spot.

“That’s a huge part of winning,” Dineen said, “if you can get depth so that when your starter goes out your backup goes in there and there isn’t any ground lost.”