Charlie Weis takes a break from busy practice day to talk progress

photo by: Mike Yoder

KU defensive back Dexter McDonald (12) knocks down a pass during team drills Tuesday, August 12.

In a break between two-a-days Wednesday at the Kansas University football facilities, coach Charlie Weis spoke with the media to field questions and provide some updates on the Jayhawks’ progress through six preseason practices.

Position battles, injuries, new uniforms and much more were addressed by the third-year KU coach.

• Weis had no update on freshman linebacker Josh Ehambe, who is waiting for NCAA clearance. Junior “buck” Damani Mosby is waiting to get his associate’s degree — they are waiting for one of his professors to grade his assignments.

• Senior tight end Jimmay Mundine had a minor procedure done on a knee that was locking up some. “It went really well. He’ll miss about another week and a half,” Weis said.

• Junior “buck” Anthony Olobia injured a knee during kickoff coverage practice on Tuesday. Weis said it didn’t look great, and he’ll be out “indefinitely or longer.” Olobia was scheduled to get an MRI on Wednesday afternoon.

• Looking at the defense, it’s flying around at practice. The least experienced position is the D-line and they look good, too. Weis loves the team’s speed. … But KU, like everyone else, is a couple injuries away from having some serious problems.

• On offense, KU is getting closer to settling down on the offensive line. Coaches will mix and match positions up through Saturday. … Trial and error will end this week, then on to the next phase of preseason practices.

• Kickers Matthew Wyman and John Duvic have been kicking the ball very consistently but they haven’t kicked in front of a crowd yet.

• Weis would be surprised if freshmen Corey Avery (running back) or Kyron Watson (linebacker) didn’t play this year, as early as the first game. They’re both instinctual. Avery has been the most exciting guy on offense. Watson is learning behind senior Ben Heeney and a couple of other guys. He’ll be pushing the veterans. He has leadership that is a little suppressed because he is a freshman…. Leaders and best players aren’t always the same guys in the college game. Senior safety Cassius Sendish is the most natural leader on the team.

• Both senior JaCorey Shepherd and junior Kevin Short have got tons of reps at practices at right cornerback. And Short has got reps on the left side, too. Short is reaping with the first string as much as the second string. KU could use one of them at nickel, but they first want to make sure they have cover corners first.

• Avery makes people miss. Anyone can run plays. They’re practicing with full pads now and that’s still happening. “I’m not ready to put him in Canton,” Weis said, but added he is very excited about the freshman running back from Dallas.

• The battle for center will settle down after this weekend. If you don’t look at it now, you don’t have time to evaluate. Plus, camp speed is much faster now than it was in the spring. Coaches will go through, position by position, looking at the offensive line after Sunday’s practice. On the depth chart, junior Keyon Haughton is listed ahead of red-shirt freshman Joe Gibson.

• Sophomore quarterback Montell Cozart gets better every day. If you start to have highs and lows, that’s what you get concerned about. The 19-year-old QB has “that it factor.” When Cozart is done at KU, he could look like a model player for the program.

• Junior receiver Nigel King, who transferred from Maryland, has pleased Weis with his physical play and ability to catch the ball, but he also takes diligent notes and asks a lot of questions. He has the signs of a polished guy. King is playing himself up the depth chart.

• Asked about how much Cozart’s youth made the true freshman nervous in 2013, Weis suggested maybe KU should’ve worn brown pants the last couple of games. Cozart wasn’t ready as an 18-year-old QB in the Big 12… You don’t see him running out of bounds now like he did last season. Things are moving in the right direction.

• KU has potential front-line kickoff and punt returners. Weis would like to use the best guys as returners. With punt returners, there is usually a party in your face when you end up catching it… The guys on the depth chart are the ones who are going to do it — Shepherd, senior receiver Nick Harwell, Short and junior receiver Tre’ Parmalee.

• Junior DeAndre Mann is challenging for the No. 1 spot at RB. Seniors Brandon Bourbon and Taylor Cox have their work cut out for them. It’s a battle.

• On the new Crimson Chrome uniforms: The players love them and most of the fans will probably like them. But Weis is all business and really doesn’t care. If it helps the players psychologically, they could wear them every game as far as he is concerned. … At the Corinth Square pep rally next week, the fans will get to pick which uniforms Kansas will wear for a game. Weis will have no say in the matter. … KU wore the gray ones in win over West Virginia. Weis would’ve been fine with them wearing those every week.

• Guys who showed up in the spring from the juice ranks… sophomore free safety Fish Smithson is close to being a starter. Junior left corner Ronnie Davis has much quicker feet than when he arrived, which makes him a better corner. KU could have them in and not miss a beat. … Sophomore strong safety Tevin Shaw might have improved more than anyone. He plays with a vicious style.

• Senior Tony Pierson’s head feels great. And since he moved to the WR position he has become a receiver. At first he was a chicken running around with his head cut off. KU puts him in at RB a few times, but in reality he is a receiver.

• John Reagan is the voice of the offensive line. He’ll coach and coordinator the offense from the sideline because of that… Tight ends coach Jeff Blasko and receivers coach Eric Kiesau have good eyes for watching from upstairs. They were talking the other day about which coach to have watching it play out from up top.

• Weis feels good about losing weight. He told both his family and the team he was going to do that. He wants to lose 100 pounds by the time he gets done. “I was a mess. I’m less of a mess now,” the coach said. He doesn’t want pats on the back. Weis told the players what he was going to do in the offseason and challenged them to make changes, too. A lot of players stepped up to address their biggest weaknesses.

• Junior defensive tackle Andrew Bolton is a big, physical guy, who is still learning a little bit and thinking more than he needs to at times. He’ll be ready by the time the season opens in September.

• Inside the KU football facileties, the sky isn’t falling. The team is getting ready to go and the only way the Jayhawks will change anyone’s mind is on the field.

— Listen to the complete Q & A session: Charlie Weis on preseason position battles, playing freshmen and more

http://www2.kusports.com/videos/2014/aug/13/35934/