Lance Leipold on position battles, back seven on defense

Kansas is nearing the end of its fall training camp, with its final practice scheduled for tomorrow. Lance Leipold met with the media Friday, discussing the ongoing position battles at LG and RT, what he’s seen from the back end of the defense, and the potential to diagnose breakout players before they happen.

‘Good battle between guys’on the offensive line

Two of the biggest position battles for the Jayhawks are on the offensive line at left guard at right tackle. Lance Leipold mentioned Nolan Gorczyca and Enrique Cruz Jr. as the names getting the majority of the work at RT, while Tavake Tuikolovatu, James Livingston, and Amir Herring battle it out at LG.

“[We] probably don’t have the clarity yet that we’ll want,” Leipold said. “We’ll probably make more decisions on that towards game week.”

Leipold said like a lot of things with this team, he’s looking for the guys in position battles to be more consistent. He expected it to be a long decision, but it also gives Kansas the opportunity to create more depth.

“By splitting those reps and doing some things, it stimulates the competition that we’re looking for each and every day,” Leipold said. “It’ll give us a chance to rotate if need be and have the depth that we need through a long, physical season.”

Back end of the defense coming together, Leipold rooting for Mason Ellis

The back seven of the defense will feature a lot of new names from the transfer portal and younger guys stepping into bigger roles. Leipold said the Jayhawks’ offense has forced the defense to improve its communication.

“We do a lot offensively—formations, personnel, motions, shifts—and that’s forced our defense to be better at communicating,” Leipold said. “DK and the defensive coaches have done a great job, but we still have to make sure we’re on the same page.”

Leipold said he likes the makeup of the linebacker room, with more length and athleticism than Kansas has had as a whole.

Mason Ellis is one of the names in the back end of the defense that will have to step into a bigger role. Ellis, hampered by injury in 2024, is looking healthy, consistent, and confident.

“This is probably the most consistent he’s played and the healthiest he’s been,” Leipold said. “Playing a lot at nickel, he’s more confident than ever. He’s a talented young man, and it’s been a frustrating road for him. Like Jalon or Daniel Hishaw, he’s someone we’re really pulling for to stay healthy and see the payoff.”

How to find potential breakout players

Players often breakout and do more than what was expected for them that season. That may be essential for Kansas in 2025, with so many new faces and a lot of questions at different positions. Leipold said things can happen during an offseason to fuel a player’s breakout.

“Somebody will always have a chance to flash something in the spring or through summer development that kind of gets your eye on it,” Leipold said. “You’re like, yeah, this guy’s got a chance to do something and really help us beyond maybe what we thought or have a bigger role. You don’t know who that is yet, but I’m excited about a few of the guys that could do that for us.”

Dean Miller is an example of someone who burst onto the scene for Kansas in 2024. Miller went from rotational player in 2023 to All-Big 12 Second Team in 2024, recording six sacks and 10 TFLs. Leipold said Kansas will continue to need breakout players.

“Where we’re still at as a program, you want competition and somebody’s going to come along faster than you thought,” Leipold said. “You need somebody to emerge at different times. I think we’ll get that and we’ll continue to need it.”