Throughout the offseason, spring ball and preseason camp, one of the biggest buzz words surrounding Kansas football has been competition.

On Friday, during a practice that was split between the practice fields and the turf at Memorial Stadium, we got a heavy dose of competition from start to finish.

Whether guys were competing for balls during seven-on-seven type drills or new faces were working in new spots in an attempt to see how so and so would hold up with the ones or so and so would react to running with the twos, all kinds of competition was on full display during the 90-plus minutes the media was invited to watch.

We did not get to stay until the last Jayhawks left the field, but it looked like they were just working on ball security and cool down stuff when we were asked to leave. And it was incredibly valuable in the fact that it really gave us a good look at how certain guys compete and how far some guys have come since we saw them in the spring or on Day 1 of fall camp a little more than two weeks ago.

Here’s a quick look at what caught my eye on a gorgeous Friday morning in LFK:

• It definitely looks like a two-man race for that starting QB job and I definitely think junior Montell Cozart is the clear leader. Deondre Ford keeps getting reps and opportunities with the second unit, but, overall, Cozart looks more consistent. During the seven-on-seven stuff in the stadium on Friday, the entire 20-30 minute session included Cozart and Ford with the ones and twos on one end of the field while freshmen Carter Stanley and Ryan Willis worked the same stuff at the other end of the field.

• Right after stretching and special teams stuff that opens practice, the Jayhawks went into their fast start offense vs. defense stuff and it was by far the most competitive I’ve seen it. On the first three snaps, the offense got the better of the D when Cozart hit freshman wideout Steven Sims with a perfect pass in the back corner of the end zone and Ford followed that up with a bullet over the middle to freshman tight end Jace Sternberger for another TD. On the next play, senior tailback De’Andre Mann slipped through the middle for a touchdown. All of the snaps were taken from the 8 yard line. From there, perhaps thanks to the barking of defensive coordinator Clint Bowen, the defense stiffened and turned the offense away on three consecutive snaps to end the period. The first was a run stuff. The second was an incompletion by Ford. And the third was an interception by freshman Tyrone Miller, who picked off Ford’s pass for tight end Kent Taylor in the back of the end zone.

• Speaking of Bowen, I freakin’ love how often he yells at the KU defensive backs to “MAKE A PLAY.” Every time the ball is in the air, Bowen truly believes one of those DBs should go get it. A lot of times they’ll get there to break it up or create some chaos, which clearly is good, but Bowen is not truly happy unless they intercept it. That’s a great standard to set and when it does happen, he lets everyone around know how happy he is. Then he moves on to the next play and forgets all about it. Good stuff.

• One interesting thing from an early QB drill came in the form of OC Rob Likens and head coach David Beaty both riding the QBs for not putting enough air under their passes on deep balls. Beaty had to jump in and stop the drill at one point to light the QBs up and Likens just kept yelling, “more air, more air.” One thing that jumped out about it the most was that both of them were emphasizing that they’re not trying to throw 50-yard passes. In fact, Likens said 35 yards max. Just more proof that this offense figures to be about shorter passes to play makers in space and the quarterbacks getting rid of the ball quickly. No surprise there.

• Speaking of Steven Sims Jr., the 5-foot-10, 165-pound wideout from Travis High in Houston, we keep hearing his name thrown out by the coaches and it now seems abundantly clear that the young fella is going to play and play a lot. He might even be working his way into a starting role. His camp has been that good. He’s so smooth in everything he does and looks almost like a veteran at times. The TD catch he made early on showed off his leaping ability and his routes are so smooth and his hands are so sure. He’s No. 16 on offense. Get used to seeing him.

• Another young guy who looks like he’s going to play right away is Kingfisher, Oklahoma tight end Jace Sternberger. He looks so athletic and, like Sims, so sure-handed. Sternberger worked some with the first team and his role will definitely increase if Kent Taylor or Ben Johnson were to miss time. But even if they don’t, with this up-tempo offense, Sternberger will get his time on the field and it definitely looks like he’s earned it. He’s a great kid, too. One of my favorites from this recruiting class when I was talking to these guys back before they signed.

• Funny highlight from the seven-on-seven stuff: At one point when a team manager batted down a pass from one of KU’s quarterbacks with a giant pad, linebackers coach Kevin Kane got so fired up he ran over and high-fived the manager like he was one of his defensive players who just made a play. I guess, in that case, he was.

• Beaty talked a little about this after practice but it definitely jumped out to me during practice — freshman linebacker Osaze Ogbebor is a bundle of effort and intensity. Beaty referred to him as a puppy dog with boundless energy and it shows up constantly at practice. Whether he’s tipping a pass, battling for a break-up or diving to try to secure an interception he really has no shot at getting, Ogbebor is always moving and rarely caught standing still.

• Cornerback Brandon Stewart has had a great camp but I noticed one thing that he (and everyone else on the team) does not need to do. On a pass to the flat during seven-on-seven drills, the ball was clearly going to be incomplete and yet Stewart still wrapped his arm around the receiver’s waist, even though it had no impact on the play. The official — in this case, director of high school relations Gene Wier — threw the flag. Although it didn’t cost Stewart on Friday, those types of little mistakes could kill any hopes of KU competing if they keep happening during the season.

• UAB transfer Quincy Perdue, who looks like he’s currently holding down a spot with the second team, may have emerged as the big body wideout this team needs to get the tough yards. On one third-down play during seven-on-seven stuff, Perdue ran a dig route and then fought back to the ball to make the catch. He battled three defenders in his area to come away with the catch and used his strong hands to rip the pass out of the air to complete the conversion.

• One thing that has really started to stand out about Beaty is how often he gives one-on-one attention to his players. He’s never afraid to pull a guy aside for a quick one-on-one conversation and he always has the look of a coach who not only really cares but also really wants to get his point across and make sure the kid gets it. It’s rarely loud and never done to show the kid up. And it comes after good plays just as much as it does after bad plays. That kind of attention is huge toward the buy-in that we’ve heard these guys talk so much about.

• Finally, one thing I really enjoyed seeing was offensive GA Connor Embree, a former KU wideout, working to get extra reps for the receivers between plays. Much like an extra outfielder who goes out between innings and warms up the left or right fielder, Embree was firing passes — today they were toward Bobby Hartzog — to the receivers in the drill while the offensive coaches or defensive coaches were making a quick adjustment. It wasn’t much more than two or three throws at a time and it wasn’t every time. But it was a perfect example of stealing reps and working when others aren’t that Beaty and company have talked a lot about during camp.

• Another big scrimmage awaits the Jayhawks on Saturday. Tomorrow could be the day when some jobs are handed out and battles are decided. We’re not invited but we get Beaty again on Monday, so hopefully we’ll know more about some of these competitions real soon. Enjoy your weekends!