Thursday turned into Corey King day at KU football practice, the eighth practice on the seventh day of preseason camp.

Nobody knew it would become King day when the sun rose on Thursday and the 6-foot-1, 295-pound defensive tackle who is transferring to KU from Miami, Florida, did not actually even do much during practice. But he was out there. And his presence is big news.

A graduate of Miami, King brings four years of experience in a big time program to a team that is in big time need of bodies at his position.

His stats were not amazing at Miami, but he battled against and with some of the best players in the country and, as a native of Miami, has a good football pedigree going all the way back to high school.

It remains to be seen what kind of impact he’ll have here, but he definitely looks the part. He’s thick, solid and carries himself with confidence. During team drills on Thursday, he was actively engaged in cheering for the defense and his eyes did not leave the field.

Seems like a very solid pick up and it definitely can’t hurt.

Here’s a quick look at some other things that caught my eye at Thursday’s practice:

• Special teams coach Gary Hyman — in only the way that Gary Hyman can do it — really emphasized mental reps during the special teams portion of practice we were able to watch. This is nothing new nor is it specific to Hyman or special teams. Just the other day the KU quarterbacks were all taking repeated mental reps — taking the fake snap, dropping back, simulating a throw — when they were not the one in the drill. The only thing interesting about this on Thursday was how heavily it was emphasized. If nothing else, this staff is going to continue to emphasize every little detail at all times.

• Speaking of special teams, these drills look like no fun at all. I mean, who wants to chop their feet, sprint back to a spot, set up, get square and then run the direction you just came from while blocking somebody who wants to run you over? That said, most of these guys give max effort even during the special teams drills, a sure sign that the message from the coaches is getting through. There are a couple of guys who dog it, but I’ll watch ’em a few more times before calling them out just to make sure it wasn’t a fluke thing.

• The 11-on-11 stuff was pretty good today. First off, transfer RB Ryan Schadler took a carry to the house that set the sideline on fire. He also fumbled a few carries later and that set RBs coach Reggie Mitchell on fire. Schadler’s got talent, but he can’t keep fumbling and keep alive any hopes of having a significant role. I’m sure he’s more than aware of that. In addition, the DBs and WRs really competed for every ball in the air.

• Back to the drills, Ben Goodman was wearing a blue jersey (reserved for the offensive players) during a special teams drill and the minute it was over he said something about, ‘Get me outta this weak blue.’ Now that’s a guy who’s defense for life.

• I mentioned this in the spring but I’ll mention it again: I love watching D-Line coach Calvin Thibodeaux coach. His demeanor is so smooth and yet so effective. The kids relate to him, listen to him and respect him and he gives all kinds of energy without looking like a crazy man. He’s a star in the making in the coaching profession and I’ve heard that from guys on KU’s staff and guys who knew the Tulsa staff he previously worked on. One of the coolest drills he ran on Thursday was an explosion drill, where the D-Linemen got low in their stances and then took one step on Thibodeaux’s command and launched their bodies as far as they could onto a mat. It looked like a bunch of guys belly-flopping into a swimming pool.