Athlon Sports

Previewing the Offensive Line: 11 Days Until Kansas Football

By Andy Mitts,

20 hours ago

Each week, we will take a deep dive into one of the 10 main position groups, highlighting the key players to watch and giving you an idea of what to expect from the position this year. This week, we shift back over to the offense to look at the other side of the trenches.

Other Positional Previews:

Last Season

The Jayhawks used the same five offensive lineman for the majority of last season, with only one player outside the starting five logging more than 100 snaps. (* - player is no longer with the team):

Player Name	Position	Games Played	Pass Block Snaps	Pass Block Grade	Run Block Snaps	Run Block Grade
Mike Novitsky*	Center	13	375	57.3	442	60.7
Michael Ford Jr	Guard	13	355	82.9	415	72.1
Armaj Reed-Adams*	Guard	13	280	64.0	324	63.1
Kobe Baynes	Guard	12	179	77.0	259	61.8
Dominick Puni*	Tackle	12	342	90.4	401	72.3
Bryce Cabeldue	Tackle	11	309	70.0	377	69.5

The Jayhawks lost starting left tackle Earl Bostick coming into last season, but Dominick Puni was more than ready to step up into the starting role. Mike Novitsky, Michael Ford and Bryce Cabeldue all reprised their roles on the line from the prior season, and transfer Kobe Baynes took over Ford's guard spot.

The line excelled in pass blocking, with multiple players grading out above 75.0 on Pro Football Focus. Overall, it was the best grading performance by a Kansas offensive line in a long time.

Cause For Concern

The loss of Mike Novitsky is huge for this team. While Puni getting drafted is also a blow, Kansas has been able to replace left tackles in the past with only a small blip. The loss of their center is going to be a much bigger adjustment, especially when you layer it on top of Puni leaving.

Reasons for Optimism

The transfers of Bryce Foster and Shane Bumgardner is even bigger than just adding a reliable center to the mix. Bringing in a presumptive starter at the position allows Michael Ford to stay at guard, where he is easily the best returning lineman.

Projected Depth Chart

The Jayhawks will have a vastly different look this season on the offensive line, with plenty of transfers and lots of players looking to move from depth roles into a bigger spot in the rotation.

LT: Logan Brown/Calvin Clements

Calvin Clements seemed like the easy pick given his usage last season, but Logan Brown has made some huge strides in camp. Right now it is probably about 50/50 on who starts, but it seems that Brown has the inside track.

LG: Michael Ford/Darrell Simmons

Ford is the highest rated returning player on the offensive line, and he is an absolute shoe-in as the starter.

Darrell Simmons comes as one of the most consistent offensive lineman on the Iowa State line the last few seasons. He slots in as quality depth immediately, and will get plenty of playing time if any sort of backup is needed.

C: Shane Bumgardner/Bryce Foster

Foster is the much bigger name, but Bumgardner is the more decorated player. Bumgardener comes to Kansas as one of the top Division II centers and has a similar pedigree to Novitsky. Add in that Bumgardner is impressing at camp and he should start the season in the starting lineup.

But Foster is a huge talent that didn't quite get the chance he wanted at Texas A&M. His talent could push him into starting role before the end of the year.

RG: Kobe Baynes/Nolan Gorczyca

Baynes was the clear third option at guard for the Jayhawks last season, and his continued development makes him a natural choice to slot in for the transferred Reed-Adams.

Gorczyca came to Kansas from Buffalo and will finally get an opportunity to join the rotation. I'm not sure how much actual playing time he will get as the fourth option at guard, but he will be some key depth.

RT: Bryce Cabeldue/James Livingston

Cabeldue will likely stay on the right side for the sake of consistency, as he was a net positive last season on the right side. But he has had some time over on the left side in camp, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him get moved over there if they think he is the most consistent overall.

Livingston seems to be the furthest along of the other young offensive tackle prospects, but it seems like a three-tackle rotation is more likely if needed.

Depth

There are a lot of young guys on the roster that are hoping to get some development time, but it's hard to see a huge role for any of Kene Anene, Carter Lavrusky, David Abajian or Harrison Utley at this point.

Coaching Staff

Daryl Agpalsa joined the coaching staff to replace the departing Scott Fuchs, and his familiarity with Lance Leipold should be a huge asset coming into the season. Before coming to Kansas, he coached five season at Northern Illinois. The Huskies received seven All-Conference honors in his time with the school. He also previously served on Leipold's staff at Buffalo and UW-Whitewater.

Overall Thoughts

Of all the spots on the offensive side of the ball, the offensive line is probably the most unsettled. The loss of three key contributors was huge for this team, and while they have brought in a lot of talent, there doesn't seem to be a natural fit to take over the extremely productive Dominick Puni. Look for Kansas to go through some growing pains early in the season, with a hope to have the majority of issues ironed out before conference play starts.