After spring injury, Kansas football OL Calvin Clements is close to being himself again

LAWRENCE — While Kansas football is going to have five starting offensive linemen, that doesn’t mean they’ll be the only guys fans see play there.

Lance Leipold, the Jayhawks’ head coach, is open to rotating players into the game if they’re ready to contribute. As long as there isn’t a significant dropoff in play, or issues with communication, there’s a potential benefit for veterans like senior offensive linemen Bryce Cabeldue and Michael Ford Jr. Those two, and their fellow starters, will have the chance to be more fresh in the fourth quarter than they were a year ago.

It’s a choice Leipold, offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa and the rest of the coaching staff can make that could open up playing time for someone like Calvin Clements. Clements, a redshirt freshman, showed a lot of promise during his true freshman season last year. Even though his spring and summer sessions weren’t what they could have been due to an injury he sustained in the spring, he’s continued to get healthier ahead of Thursday’s season opener against Lindenwood.

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“Bryce Cabeldue is going to be very steady, Michael Ford — those guys are used to playing the whole game,” Leipold said. “Maybe there’s a time to give them a breather in there, and I think Calvin coming off injury — like I said, he’s just getting going. … He gets better every day and starts showing what he was about last year, when he started the bowl game. I hope by the time we play UNLV, he’s right back to where he was.”

Clements filled in as the starter at left tackle for the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, which was also against UNLV, for Dominick Puni, a 2024 NFL draft pick, did not play in the bowl game. Starting in Puni’s place was something Clements said he kind of saw coming, and something he’s thankful he had the opportunity to experience so early in his college career.

Clements allowed he expected it to be difficult to control his emotions in the game, because he’s from Lawrence and was playing in what would become Kansas’ first bowl win in more than a decade. But he’s proud of how he carried himself, and how he focused on the game. It all played into why he had so much momentum going into the spring.

Clements acknowledged, therefore, it was disappointing to get hurt. But he had experienced a similar injury on a different leg during high school, so he had an idea of what he needed to do to get back on the field. Through that experience, and his communication with the training staff, he felt comfortable he’d be able to return to action this fall.

“We’ve definitely set high expectations in practice, but I’m just going to come in each day giving 100% and thankfully, if I fall short of that, people are going to let me know,” Clements said. “There’s a very high standard around the building.”

Clements feels more confident now, compared to how he did when he arrived as a true freshman. He’s been able to be around his teammates more and build relationships. Cabeldue, one of the players Clements felt helped him most last season, is back again to help serve as a mentor.

Agpalsa, who volunteered Clements returned quicker than expected, said the injury Clements suffered isn’t even a topic of conversation between the two of them anymore. Jeff Grimes, the team’s assistant head coach/offensive coordinator, made a point similar to the one Leipold did about the progress Clements is making. It’s just about closing the gap between where Clements is now and who he has been healthy as the development continues for someone Clements’ size — 6-foot-7, 315 pounds.

“Kind of like a big dog, a Great Dane or a Saint Bernard, they don’t look like much for a while but when they’re full grown and they develop and they become coordinated, wow that’s an impressive animal,” Grimes said. “He’s still in that awkward, teenage stage a little bit in terms of his body and just learning how to make it all work right. But I like him, and I think he's going to be a really good player for us.”

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: After spring injury, Kansas football OL Calvin Clements is close to being himself again