photo by: KU Athletics

The Kansas football team’s offensive line lost Wednesday a possible contributor as senior Antione Frazier decided to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal.

Earlier during the Jayhawks’ preseason camp, head coach Les Miles listed Frazier as a starting candidate at tackle.

Frazier tweeted a statement regarding his status Wednesday afternoon, in which he shared that he wants to play football “wherever” and “however” that is possible, and he’s looking for the “best opportunity.”

Miles, earlier in the day during his Wednesday video press conference, downplayed the ramifications of Frazier’s departure, while admitting the change would affect the O-line’s depth.

“We’ll have some other tackles that we’ll be able to rotate through,” Miles said. “We like some of the young guys and we don’t want to necessarily slow up their progress.”

According to Miles, Frazier opted out of playing this fall because of concerns tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think everybody makes a personal decision there,” KU’s coach said. “He just turned and went in that direction. Frankly, we wish him all the best and think that he’ll make a difference some place.”

A 6-foot-5, 310-pound senior offensive lineman from Huffman, Texas, Frazier didn’t appear in any games for KU in 2019, after playing some on the O-line and for special teams throughout the 2018 season.

Frazier is expected to look to become a grad transfer.

I Want To Play Football Wherever That Is However That Is It Does Not Matter I’m Looking For The Best Opportunity Possible.

— Antione Frazier (@antionekfrazier) August 26, 2020

Other opt outs possible?

It wasn’t until Miles was asked whether any KU football players had expressed interest in opting out of playing this year due to the pandemic that the coach said that’s what happened with Frazier.

Presented with a hypothetical situation in which another Jayhawk wanted to opt out, Miles said he wouldn’t mind that person remaining in the program beyond this year.

“If they basically don’t want to play anymore (this season due to COVID),” Miles said, “or reasons for not being as talented as they would normally be, then they could stay on campus. You bet.”

The coach also stated that he’d love to have all of the players remain active on the roster and compete.

“If they opt out because of the pandemic, then they opt in to the pandemic,” Miles opined. “The last I saw it, the pandemic was worldwide. I don’t know that their advantage is to turn at this point in time away from what would be a good finish to a college career and an opportunity to advance their abilities. And then have a choice to go off into the NFL or to stay and compete.”

No current COVID issues

Same as he did six days prior, during his initial media session of the summer, Miles again reported Wednesday that the program isn’t currently dealing with any positive COVID-19 testing results.

“We also are proud that we have zero quarantine or isolation coronavirus issues. We’re happiest about that,” Miles said while giving some opening remarks about the team’s progress during preseason camp.

On Aug. 20, Miles shared that since players returned to campus in June, KU had seen 40 out of 600-plus tests come back positive (with some unspecified number of people within the program accounting for multiple positive tests). In early July, KU football suspended voluntary summer workouts when it reported 12 players tested positive for COVID-19.

Miles asks for ‘change’ after Blake shooting

Before getting into updates on individual players from the KU roster, Miles took a moment during his video conference to address what happened earlier this week in Kenosha, Wis., where police shot a Black man, Jacob Blake, multiple times in the back, leaving Blake paralyzed.

“I see our country is still shaken by bad decisions,” Miles said, bringing up the fact that Blake was shot in front of his children and saying that police officers who take such measures lack cultural sensitivity.

“We have to look back, we have to change,” Miles said. “There are things that must be done.”