With a new beginning, the KU Football emphasized the goal

March 3, 2025 by Hudson Brooklyn

Chance Parker/Special in the magazine world

Kansas Football is organizing spring on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

The exact way in which the Kansas football team was neglected in 2024 informed about how it approaches the 2025 season – sometimes very directly.

“There is no secret that we didn't have much success in the fourth quarter of last year,” said strength trainer Matt Gilersleeve on Sunday. “So you will find unique opportunities to become creative and highlight these things.”

In fact, the Jayhawks left on the way to a disappointing 5: 7 season in Illinois, 20-16 against UNLV, 28-17 in West Virginia, 31-28 in the US state of Arizona and 27-26 in the state of Kansas, and even worse, when they had the chances in the late rallies, usually for an ordinary rallies, in which they were normally closer, in Illinois, 20-16 in the state of Kansas when they had 31-28 in the US state of Arizona.

In the first five weeks of the offseason from Ku, the focus was on the fourth quarter and therefore constant memories of the way the Jayhawks lacked. They repeatedly played on the video board for the last two minutes of the K-State loss. And in an activity that they describe as a “perfect discipline”, the players were often assigned the same time that they had left for some of their unfortunate two -minute exercises on the clock to perform certain complex activities, e.g.

And if you screwed up, you had no additional chances.

“Either we will win or we will lose,” said Gilersleeve. “We will achieve this or not. Because there are no do-over-we learned the last season. “

This type of ethos, when it comes to ending games, will probably continue at the next stage of the low season, as KU starts a table of 15 spring exercises that started on Sunday evening.

“I think we will emphasize situational football more,” said head coach Lance Leipold. “We have to be better in certain areas. We know that this was an area that we did not exceed last year. “

The hope is that this year's group of Jayhawks will be better prepared for performing in the coupling than last year -and it is indeed a new group, of which only a few have actually contributed to this Kansas State Game film material that was shot and rolled in the football training in Indoor football. Between transfers and the early newcomer, more than two dozen newcomers are now being commissioned to get used to the KU program.

“It's crazy,” said the defensive Tackle DJ Withers. “I didn't think it would be as good as it was. They all came into the program and everyone bought pretty well. “

Spring is about evaluating the talent of KU, “more than ever,” said Leipold.

“This is almost like our first year in which we start to learn a few names again,” he added.

Gilersleeve quoted the recipient Emmanuel Henderson Jr. (a transfer in Alabama) and Cam Pickett (Ball State) as a couple, which was physically noticed in his training sessions outside of the season.

He said that Ku returns with “no fixed spots on this roster” – in fact in relation to starter a quarterback (highly limited in the spring), two offensive linemen, three defensive linemen and only very little -, all players have made additional efforts, which was also obvious in the opening practice on Sunday.

“Watch Warm up to us, it looks different at the moment because the boys are rated in everything they are doing and nobody knows where they stand from this point of view,” said Gilersleeve. “It feels revitalized, right, it feels revived at the moment and it is really fun to be part of it.”

Two departure

Two scholarship players who were conspicuously absent were Cornerback Damarius McGhee and LineBacker Tristian Fletcher.

McGhee, a transfer from the LSU, tried to stay healthy with the Jayhawks in his two seasons and to be a third Cornerback role. Fletcher, an early Juco scrutin in the summer of 2022, stood out in the autumn camp in 2024, but still saw minimal time during the season.

Leipold confirmed on Sunday that both of them have left the team and end the school.

“I think both will just graduate and take the next step at the moment,” he said. “We appreciate these young men. Both had problems staying healthy. Good young men, they both love, love their personalities, very selfless, never a problem with attitude or working morality, but yes, they are no longer with us. “