Reviews of how this defense has performed this season have largely been a mixed bag. 14 combined given up to Wagner and Fresno State combined sat things up well but things have see-sawed since then with 42 points given up to Missouri, 10 to West Virginia and a further 37 to Cincinatti spells a defense with potential for either really good or really not so good things.
Yet one of the bright spots for Kansas has been some of their individual play. Guys like Trey Lathan, Bangally Kamara. Lyrik Rawls are all among a number talents which have been reeled in through the portal since last season.
But, possibly the biggest name on the defensive front as of late is Blake Herold.
Herold is a redshirt sophomore who played in all 12 games last season where he marked 20 tackles three tackles for loss and a sack.
In the 41-10 win over the Mountaineers Herold notched a tied team-leading seven tackles and one tackle for loss. Against the Bearcats this past Saturday, despite the 37-34 loss, Herold had his best numbers game as a Jayhawk with five tackles two solo tackles one sack, one and a half tackles for loss with one pass defended.
“You know, we do all the GPS tracking, and all that, and his explosive movements were off the chart, led the team,” quoted head coach Lance Leipold.
“He plays extremely hard, you know, he's a guy that, you know, Mondays and Tuesdays are pretty tough on us…but the kid doesn't miss, and he keeps working, and, you know, if you have a chance to visit with Blake, he's not the most outgoing guy there is out there. I don't know if he gives you many quotes, but, he just likes playing ball and and, working his tail off, and this program really appreciates him, and I know his teammates do as well.”
According to 247Sports coming out of Iowa, Herold was the 25th-ranked recruit and the 218th-best defensive lineman in the country. The three-star Herold also held offers from North Dakota, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa, before committing to the Jayhawks.
The next chance to see Herold in action is this Saturday as the Jayhawks take the rare venture to the East Coast, where Leipold’s team will travel to take on UCF. Kickoff is at 6:30 PM CT on ESPN2.