It’s been a lot of firsts for the Kansas University football program this week and Wednesday morning brought another: First day of two-a-days.

Session one kicked off early this morning at 9 a.m. and, appropriately, they kicked things off with “Let’s Get It Started” from the Black Eyed Peas.

It’s always interesting to watch the energy and vibe at these morning practices and I gotta tell ya, today’s session didn’t look any different than what we’ve seen in the afternoon the past several days.

By the time they suit up, get treatment, get taped up and all of that, you’d think they’d have no problem waking up and being ready. But you have to remember these are college kids and 9 a.m. comes pretty early. Heck, it comes pretty early for me most days. So good for them for looking sharp and being ready to get after it at the first morning practice of the season.

That’s not a huge deal and they should be expected to do just that, but it’s definitely possible that they could’ve been sluggish and, if they were, I didn’t see it.

Here’s a quick glance at what else caught my eye this morning. KU coach Charlie Weis will be available for a press conference at 11:45 a.m. and we’ll have all kinds of nuggets and sound from that this afternoon.

• One thing that has impressed me most from the coaches in the early going is how they get prepared for practice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in there behind closed doors when they’re having their coffee and getting ready to hit the field. But during stretching and warm-up type stuff when they’re just waiting for Scott Holsopple to get done with the players, they’re coaching then, too. A lot of times it’s just high-fiving the guys or slapping them on the helmet to make sure they’re ready to go. But today I noticed that, in the name of efficiency, there was a lot of prep work being done. Particularly with John Reagan. Instead of just walking around or jamming to the music and waiting for them to finish, Reagan was talking to each lineman about what drills were up first and reminding them of little tips and tidbits that might help them get to work a little faster. Again, efficiency is the key word there and these guys don’t appear to be wasting any time.

• I took a longer look at the linebackers and Bucks today and the thing that jumped out at me was their athleticism and mobility. So many of those guys can move, are light on their feet and can change direction very well for guys who play those positions. Michael Reynolds, Victor Simmons, Ben Heeney, Kyron Watson, Courtney Arnick. All of those guys and more really showed some good agility during the drill I saw them working. Gotta think that can only help when chasing down a ball carrier.

• So much of the early portion of camp is about guys getting shots and a couple of young guys on offense are definitely getting theirs. For the second day in a row, Joe Gibson worked in with the first team at center during the fast-paced offensive drill. Also working in with the first team today was freshman running back Corey Avery. I’ve thought this for a while and I think it more and more every day: Avery’s going to play.

• Want to know how you get to be a captain in your first year in the program or a two-time Big 12 media days representative or one of the most respected guys on the team? Watch Cassius Sendish. The senior safety, who also happens to be one of the best dudes on the team, is one of the hardest working guys out there day in and day out. Talk about efficiency, Sendish looks to get every ounce he can out of every drill he does and never goes half-speed or takes a rep off. That kind of thing is contagious and really sets a good tone for the younger guys who are looking up to and learning from him. It’s that kind of effort that’s required to help rebuild a program.

More to come a little later on. For now, be sure to check out Benton Smith’s video from this morning’s practice.

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