photo by: Carter Gaskins/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes during practice on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Lawrence.

With fall camp drawing to a close, as he met reporters on Thursday for one of the final times before the season opener on Aug. 29 against Lindenwood, Kansas offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes held forth on a variety of topics. But his most informative answer was a single word uttered without hesitation: “No.”

The question had been whether the offensive line was where Grimes wanted it to be.

His response reflects a persistent level of uncertainty around the position group, which will be charged with protecting quarterback Jalon Daniels and opening holes for running back Devin Neal but, after losing two starters and its position coach from the 2023 campaign, has undergone a bit of a late-offseason facelift with summertime additions and lineup shifts.

Grimes did say he believed the group was headed in the right direction but needed to “continue to build the right kind of culture.”

“I think Daryl (Agpalsa)’s a great offensive line coach,” Grimes said. “The guys trust him, they believe in him, and so I think we have the pieces in place to be a quality offensive line, but we are definitely still a work in progress. The good news, I think, is the fact that we still have competition ongoing, and that’s a good thing.”

Indeed, competition was the word of the day when Agpalsa and his charges spoke to the media on Wednesday. The most salient battle is at center, where transfers Shane Bumgardner (from Division II Tiffin) and Bryce Foster (from Texas A&M) continue to face off. From Grimes’ perspective, Bumgardner has come into the fall with increased confidence and the “vibe” of “OK, this guy is a Power Five center,” while Foster entered camp tentatively but picked up speed during the last several days of practice.

Agpalsa had also taken time to highlight what he described as a “hot and heavy” competition at guard.

“Human nature is sometimes just to be average and be OK,” Agpalsa said, “and when you’re competing with someone you have to be on your Ps and Qs all the time.”

Added guard Michael Ford Jr.: “I think it’s great. I think it promotes just trying to stack days and trying to be your best self every day.”

Veterans Ford and Kobe Baynes are in the driver’s seat for starting spots at guard, but KU did manage to give quite a few snaps to rotational guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams last season before he transferred.

New addition Darrell Simmons Jr. could be in line to receive those reps this season, having also taken part in a rotation his final year at Iowa State. Nolan Gorczyca had impressed at guard in the spring but has worked outside at tackle in fall camp, while James Livingston has undergone the reverse trajectory, playing more inside of late. And then there’s the prospect of the loser of the center competition cross-training to serve as a guard.

“It pushes towards just trying to find our best five,” Grimes said, “and I wouldn’t say that one of those guys would be outside the (realm of) possibility at another spot.”

Between these various battles and switching Bryce Cabeldue and Logan Brown to opposite tackle spots, KU is, as Agpalsa put it “really trying to find out the pieces that we have for the season,” a process he hopes to complete within the week.