What caught my eye at Day 2 of Fall Practice

KU assistant Clint Bowen runs sophomore Victor Simmons through a defensive backs drill at Friday's practice.

Another day, another practice for the KU football team.

While their physical appearance continues to be something many media members marvel at, we’re starting to get used to the bigger bodies and more fit look.

With that in mind, here’s what stood out to me on Day 2.

• A lot has been made about the increased bulk of returning defensive linemen Keba Agostinho and John Williams. I got my first good look at both of them today and they are definitely noticeably bigger. Keba has added overall bulk and looks like he belongs in the middle of the D-Line and Williams looks a lot trimmer overall but also bulkier up top.

• Speaking of defensive linemen…. Kevin Young once again looks like the athlete he was recruited to be. During his first couple of seasons in town, Young was sent some mixed messages about what he would be and how he would be used. That forced his weight to fluctuate and caused some confusion. He looks athletic again now and the former Nebraska commitment could provide great depth for KU’s D-Line.

• I spent some extended time over by the defensive backs today and a couple of things jumped out over there. First, transformed wide receiver Brian Maura‘s size (6-3.5, 205) puts him a head above all others in the defensive backfield. Judging by the depth chart — he’s not on it — I’m sure he’s still got some work to do to, but if he ever gets it, that size could be very helpful.

• One general comment about the D-backs…. Even without looking at the numbers, I think you’d be able to tell who the freshmen are and who the veterans are. The main reason? Footwork. The vets have much quicker feet in most of the drills. That’s not a knock on the new guys, just a look at what experience can do for you. It also should be pointed out that just because the footwork is different in drills does not mean that would carry over to the field. Some guys are just gamers. We’ll see if any of these new D-backs are. Greg Allen looks very put together, while Nas Moore and Tyree Williams look crazy athletic and capable of playing right away.

• One more note for one of the newcomers, Williams apparently has just one gear — all out. Williams continually ran so hard through the finish of each drill that he slammed into the fence just off the field.

• As for the D-Line, it’s looking better and better all the time. I talked yesterday about some of the newcomers helping there, but today I saw some more from a couple of returners. Toben Opurum and Josh Williams led off most of the drills — no surprise, considering last week, in Dallas, Opurum said Williams had been a great leader all summer — and both looked as if they were trying to set the tone for the rest of the group. Ben Goodman and Michael Reynolds also looked good, especially in the quickness department. Quick feet, explosive movements. Should be fun to see what both guys bring this year.

• Finally, I don’t think this would be complete without mentioning how hard the coaches are working. It’s not yelling, it’s not screaming, it’s instructing. They’re flat-out working their butts off to teach these guys, which, I’m sure, makes it that much easier for these guys to want to learn.