Dru Prox could be one of the best linebackers in Big 12

Kansas football linebacker Dru Prox will be back this season after an injury last year, and he could be one of the best linebackers in the Big 12.

Kansas football struggled on the defensive side of the ball last season to say the least. In total defense, the Jayhawks ranked No. 122 out of 130 teams overall, and there were only two power five conference teams below them. The good news is, a key piece of Kansas’ defense should be back this season after he went down with an injury in the fourth game of the season.

Dru Prox, a senior linebacker from Texas, was leading the Jayhawks in tackles through Kansas’ game against West Virginia when he injured his shoulder and sat for the rest of the season. He had 39 total tackles at that point in the season, which would given him the third-highest tackles per game rate in the Big 12 by the end of the season at that pace.

Prox would undoubtedly have helped Kansas in their conference slate, and it’s interesting to think about what may have happened if he would have played in Kansas’ game against Texas or Iowa State. The 2019 season is over though, and now it’s time to think about what Prox can do for the Jayhawks in 2020.

If he can replicate his production from the first four games of the season, there’s really no reason to think that he can’t be one of the best linebackers in the Big 12. He will have some competition from guys like Garrett Wallow of TCU and Terrel Bernard of Baylor, but the goal for Prox should be to try and make an All-Big 12 team in his senior season.

Dru Prox is going to be a big part of Kansas football’s 2020 defense, which will be fairly new after graduations from multiple contributors from last season including Mike Lee, Bryce Torneden, Elmore Hempstead Jr., Azur Kamara, Najee Stevens-McKenzie, Hasan Defense, and others. He’ll be one of the only seniors with real experience out there, so he’ll be a leader on the Kansas defense as he tries to put together an All-Big 12 caliber season.