Kansas wide receivers coach Klint Kubiak works with Tre Parmalee during practice on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

There’s a point during every football offseason when a new crop of leaders steps up and takes the place of the former head honchos who left the team after running out of eligibility.

For some teams — usually the more veteran and established programs — the transition happens quickly, and the new lead dogs are off and running before winter conditioning begins.

For others, it can take into spring football and even summer conditioning before the new crew takes over and truly begins to function and feel like the leadership arm of the program.

For the 2015 edition of Kansas University’s football team, which is being asked to replace all but a couple of starters on defense and basically an entire batch of playmakers on offense, that leadership began to emerge over the summer.

Earlier this week at Big 12 media days in Dallas, first-year head coach David Beaty made no secret of the fact that senior defensive end Ben Goodman had been “by far” the team’s most impressive leader this offseason.

But sophomore tight end Ben Johnson, who joined Beaty in Dallas, tipped his cap to a few other Jayhawks for their roles as leaders this summer.

“(Senior wide receiver) Tre’ Parmalee’s a big one,” Johnson said. “He’s another one of our veterans. (Junior running back) Ke’aun Kinner’s a leader, as well. Defensively, (junior linebacker) Courtney Arnick is not as vocal, but he’s definitely a leader. And (junior quarterback) Montell Cozart is a leader too. If somebody has a bad play, he’s right there to pick him up.”

The mention of Kinner, a 5-foot-9, 185-pound back from Navarro Junior College, is a bit unusual. But it speaks to both his impact since arriving prior to spring practice and the lack of experience on the KU roster.

“I say Kinner because he’s one of our biggest playmakers,” Johnson said. “Even if you’re not as vocal, when you make plays like that, that brings energy and pumps everybody up.”

As for Johnson himself, he said he had done everything he could to pick up the slack for the absence of three-year starter Jimmay Mundine.

“Once he left, I kind of tried to take over that role and saw myself as being that person,” Johnson said of his role as the leader of the tight ends. “I try to be first in line. I try to be positive, make sure guys aren’t bending over when they’re tired.”

Simple message

Wednesday night, offensive-line coach Zach Yenser announced on Twitter that he was having the KU offensive linemen over to his house for dinner to provide the big guys in the trenches another opportunity to build some chemistry and get away from the grind of summer conditioning.

The gesture is pretty common throughout the coaching staff, but this particular dinner party featured something a bit unusual.

Yenser ordered a giant frosted cookie for the linemen and said on Twitter: “What’s the best way to get a point across to college O-linemen? Put the message on a cookie cake!”

The message, which was written in crimson and blue icing surrounding pictures of a KU helmet and football made of icing, was simple: “If you don’t cut, you don’t play!”