⚡ CFB Dashboard

After two days off Kansas was back on the practice field on Tuesday morning. It was a brisk morning with the wind blowing. Some players had extra layers on and the chatter between players and coaches in between drills surrounded the wardrobe choices to combat the wind and chilly air. This morning, I spent most of my time around the defensive backs. I don't think we're going to learn a lot about the combinations KU is going to use this fall during the spring. The room overall is pretty banged up. Austin Alexander is out for the spring. Syeed Gibbs, Mason Ellis and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman are all in non-contact jerseys and aren't getting a ton live reps this spring. Those are four players who I think will be on the two deep this fall. Let's start with the safeties room. When I watched the players going through drills, I see a room with potential. Honestly, I see more guys who can play in the Big 12 than I saw in the room last season and it's not even close. D.K. McDonald said KU needed to add some long, rangy bodies who can play to the field. KU didn't have that last year with Taylor Davis and Lyrik Rawls playing with Devin Dye, Mason Ellis and Jalen Dye backing them up. Now, KU has some options. Corey Gordon Jr. has multiple years of experience in the Power 4. I think he ends of slotting in at the field safety role to begin. (Photo: Michael Swain, 247Sports) He is one of the taller safeties KU has had under Leipold. When the safeties were doing coverage drills he looked just as fluid as some of the cornerbacks. A guy whose frame caught my attention was Christian Pritchett. (Photo: Michael Swain, 247Sports) He didn't play much at Georgia Tech, but I can see why KU took a flyer on him. He is incredibly long and is a good athlete. So at worst, he's a good special teams addition. But maybe he can provide some depth at safety. We'll see. I think Cummings-Coleman will end up being an interesting wildcard. I could see him lining up as a field safety (where Gordon could play) but I could also see KU moving him to play the nickel role in the five defensive back setup. But, he needs to get healthy as he comes off shoulder surgery last fall. On the other side, Georgia transfer Jaden Harris is off to a good start. (Photo: Michael Swain, 247Sports) I think he'll be competing with Taylor Davis for the starting spot at boundary safety. Harris has a similar frame to Davis, maybe a little bit smaller. Across the room, there are a lot more pieces to work with. Camp is going to be an important time for the coaches to figure out the correct pairings and packages. Moving to cornerback, this room is all about development. Can KU get back to having Jalen Todd play on the outside? Roman Pearson is an important addition because he provides veteran depth. (Photo: Michael Swain, 247Sports)   If you compare Pearson to the player who was in the role last year (D.J. Graham II), Pearson is much bigger. He's as tall as any of the other cornerbacks. Big picture, there are plenty of ways things can go with this room over the next few months. Getting healthy is the first priority. KU needs a big step forward from the secondary this fall.