DJ Warner, Jalen Todd represent Kansas football’s true freshmen on 1st fall depth chart

LAWRENCE — Kansas football’s roster in 2024 doesn’t lack experience, whether that’s from time spent playing at KU or another college.

Look at who’s set to play a lot at running back or wide receiver, or a number of other spots, on offense. Look at the team’s secondary on defense, not to mention aspects of what’s available at linebacker and the defensive line. It’s part of why the Jayhawks are seen as a group that can compete for a Big 12 Conference title this year.

But on the initial depth chart Kansas released Monday, ahead of the season opener Thursday, two true freshmen earned their way onto the list. Cornerback Jalen Todd and defensive end DJ Warner are the backups to senior cornerback Mello Dotson and redshirt junior defensive end Dean Miller, respectively. And while Warner is still someone who needs to continue to develop physically, that he can be a factor in pass rush situations so soon could prove vital.

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“(Warner)’s worked extremely hard, he’s extremely coachable and really cares, and so does Jalen,” head coach Lance Leipold said. “You could tell that the game’s important to him, and when it is the extra time that it takes in there — I think we’ve talked about Jalen Todd in here already from the time he got here in January until what it he is now. He’s put himself in a position to, both those guys, to contribute and play.”

Warner joined Kansas as a 247Sports Composite four-star prospect out of the state of Arizona. Todd came in as a three-star prospect out of the state of Michigan. Both were key pieces of a 2024 recruiting class that features a number of names who could be high-profile players for the Jayhawks during their careers, like freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall and freshman defensive end Dakyus Brinkley.

Just because Warner and Todd made the first depth chart of the fall doesn’t mean the competition for playing time stops now. Both will have to continue to develop and prove they deserve to keep the trust of their coaches, including defensive ends coach/special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu and co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach D.K. McDonald. But this is a positive sign, and Leipold said Warner and Todd will both play on special teams, too.

As the Jayhawks make their way through non-conference play, and the inevitable grind that awaits come Big 12 play, depth will be critical. Warner and Todd have both shown early in their careers they have the talent to provide that. And it helps, too, there are veterans in their position groups that can serve as mentors for them moving forward.

“They’ve done a good job,” defensive coordinator Brian Borland said about Warner and Todd. “Jalen Todd’s been here, really, the whole spring semester. So, he really started to show up there and it's just continued on. He’s matured a lot. He’s performed really well. And so, he’s earned that spot.”

Borland continued: “DJ, he’s a very talented player and — again, it’s a work in progress because he’s still got to learn a lot of things about what we’re doing and really consistently how to do them. But you can’t take away from his athleticism and some of the things he’s capable of doing in the right situations. So, they’ve earned it. Nobody’s given them anything.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: DJ Warner, Jalen Todd represent Kansas football’s true freshmen on 1st fall depth chart