The Kansas football program has repeatedly been punched by injuries time and time again since the offseason.
One of the biggest bits of news heading into Week 1’s 51-6 win over LIU was that Tulane defensive tackle transfer Tre’Von McAlpine was going to miss the entire season thanks to an injury suffered over the offseason.
While McAlpine was a big injury hit, Kansas’ defensive line has done a solid job of replacing him with the likes of Blake Herold, Kevin Oatis, Eamon Smalls and Marcus Calvin, each shifting spots with one another through various points of the game.
However, the unfortunate problem with defensive linemen is that they get injured way too often. If it isn’t the constant contact up against an offensive lineman in practice all week into gameday, it could be as simple as someone accidentally falling onto an ankle or a bad tweak, meaning there is almost never enough cover at that spot.
Following Kansas’ 24-17 loss in the Union Jack Classic to Arizona State, head coach Lance Leipold added two newcomers to the roster: running back Chase Belcher and defensive tackle Clifton Thompson.
A report on Belcher’s addition can be found here.
“Both young men got in this weekend, going through the activation periods that are gonna be needed,” opened Leipold to the media during his weekly presser.
“…When the opportunity by rule and roster slots presented itself, we decided to make this move…As I talked to them, there's no guarantees in this. We expect you to do what everyone else does, but, obviously, we hope that they can contribute in some way, as they as they progress here in upcoming weeks.”
Thompson adds another piece of veteran experience to the squad
Thompson joins Kansas after three seasons at Central Connecticut State University.
During his time as a Blue Devil, Thompson totaled seasons of 19, 30 and 27 tackles with a toal of 6 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 sack.
The redshirt senior stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs in at 350 pounds, according to the KU website.
While Kansas’ defense hasn’t been perfect this season, the defensive front has been a standout part of it through three games. With the constant tackle switches, Kansas is able to constantly get pressure even when games wear on.
On either end of the tackles sit David Santiago and Leroy Harris III. Santiago, a transfer from Michigan State, has taken like a duck to water, constantly getting himself into dangerous positions. Harris, meanwhile, has continued to assert himself as one of the nation’s best edge rushers, full stop.
With those aspects put together, KU has created a good defensive front, and while Thompson may not walk in and become a starter from day one, hopefully he has the desired impact needed for a 1-2 Jayhawk side that is struggling to churn much positive momentum.
Up next for KU are the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, who will serve as Kansas’ final non-conference game of the season before an eight-game Big 12 slugfest occurs.
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