The defensive front is an easily forgotten sector of the field, as you will rarely find a touchdown conceded solely by the front itself. In most cases, you can usually point to the linebacker corps or the secondary as the reason why a team may have dropped certain plays.
However, when you enlist a strong defensive line, all of a sudden the momentum of every play slowly flips towards you.
For a Kansas team that finished last season allowing 409.5 yards per game (95th in the country), 184.1 on the ground (105th in the FBS) and 225.4 through the air (68th in the nation), there was an immediate need for this position to be improved upon heading into next season.
Today’s task is to measure out just how well the Jayhawks did at adding that depth across the line.
Depth chart help is provided here by Ourlads.
The Jayhawks are putting together one of the BIg 12's strongest defenisve lines
Starting at left defensive end is Alex Bray, David Santiago and Adrian Holley.
Following two seasons at Illinois, Bray made the jump last season, where he finished with 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Santiago spent one season at Air Force and one year with the Michigan State Spartans. Santiago adds 62 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. While Santiago’s stats took a small hit from his time at Air Force compared to his time with the Spartans, he should be finding his best form with a season of power-conference football under his belt.
Holley is a former 4-star prospect, which means the expectation on him is naturally a tad higher. Holley will be a redshirt freshman by game one of next season. With a lot of experience ahead of him, expect it to be another developmental year.
Nose tackle finds Tre’Von McAlpine, Eamon Smalls and Jibriel Conde.
McAlpine comes as a transfer from Tulane, where he played one season. McAlpine registered 35 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 fumble recovery in his time with the Green Wave. McAlpine’s 6-foot-3, 305-pound stature could make him a force to be reckoned with next season.
Smalls played three years at UAB; last season, Smalls went for 50 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack and 1 quarterback hurry. Despite losing 56-24, Smalls put together an impressive day against the No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers, going for 7 tackles.
Conde was the first pickup through the transfer portal that Leipold and his staff enlisted. At Grand Valley State, Conde put together 30 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks. As just a redshirt junior, if Conde hits the ground running, he could continue to be a pivotal piece over the next two seasons.
At defensive tackle, the projected candidates include Blake Herold, Marcus Calvin and Kevin Oatis.
Herold impressed last season, reeling in 43 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 pass breakups along with 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. If Herold can keep the same momentum from last season, he will finish next season as one of the team’s most productive players.
While playing a reserve role last season, Calvin still went for 15 tackles, 1 sack and 1 pass breakup. For a second option with two years left of eligibility, Calvin proves a great depth piece.
Oatis is a projectable piece for this team; he brings just two tackles in four games from Arkansas, but still offers 4 years of eligibility with him.
Lastly, at right defensive end sit Leroy Harris III, Dakyus Brinkley and Garrett Martin.
The true junior Harris immediately asserts himself as a dangerous player. As a sophomore in his first year with the program. Harris went for 31 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and one blocked kick. Harris will own this spot until he decides not to.
The former 4-star Brinkley spent his redshirt freshman season doing the little things right. When the 5-7 campaign finished, Brinkley had notched 15 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. While Harris holds a grip on the spot right now, Brinkley adds a refreshing second option.
Garret finished his freshman season with one appearance against Wagner.
Overall Grade: A
At nearly every spot, the Jayhawks have a proven playmaker. At both end spots, they also have a hungry backup, waiting to prove why they deserve the top spot. While attempting to quantify a line’s impact on any game may be hard to do, this should be a defensive front that impresses beyond what any stat can tell you.
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