19 Days Until Kansas Football: Previewing the Safeties

We continue our positional previews with the final position group on the defense. That means it is time to look at the safety position.

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 will finish the defense by taking a look at the safeties.

Other Positional Previews:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
  
• Offensive Line
• Defensive Line
• Linebackers
• Cornerbacks

Last Season

The Jayhawks had 5 different players who recorded a stat last season at the cornerback position. Here is a list of each of those players (* - player is no longer with the team):

Player Name	Games Played	Total Tackles	Solo Tackles	Tackles For Loss	Passes Defended	Interceptions	Fumbles Forced	Fumbles Recovered
Kenny Logan Jr.	12	110	78	4	5	1	2	1
Ricky Thomas Jr.*	12	45	34	2	0	0	1	0
OJ Burroughs	12	26	22	0	2	1	1	0
Jason Gilliom	12	18	14	0	1	0	0	0
Edwin White-Schultz	12	9	5	0	0	0	0	1

With how difficult it was for cornerbacks last year, the play of the safeties wasn't really focused on too much. With only 5 players recording a statistic, it's safe to say that the position was very thin. Kenny Logan, Jr. and Ricky Thomas, Jr. were the clear starters, with OJ Burroughs, Jr. the first option off the bench. While Jayson Gilliom and Edwin White-Schultz both made appearances on the field, they didn't seem to factor into the main plans for the position.

Logan was the best safety of the group by far, which meant that a lot of the attention went away from him and to the other safeties. That showed with Thomas and Burroughs struggling according to Pro Football Focus. That's not to say they didn't each have their highlights, but the overall output did not rate well.

Cause For Concern

The worry his is uncertainty. While Kansas fans can have a lot of confidence in the ability of Logan, there are a lot of players that will need to develop in order for the position to improve. Thomas was the only player who is not returning, but there are questions about the ability of anyone else still here to step into a prominent role.

The Jayhawks did a lot to try and bring in more talent for the position, but it might take time for those players to acclimate to the program and start to contribute consistently. 

Reasons for Optimism

The potential for this position is real. Logan, who was a preseason All-Big 12 selection, should be fantastic again this season, and Burroughs showed a lot of potential, including a big interception in the end zone against Texas late in the fourth quarter.

Adding to the room are two big transfers in Jarrett Paul (Eastern Michigan) and Marvin Grant (Purdue). Both played well last season and should be expected to make a big impact this year.

Projected Depth Chart

The numbers still aren't on their side at this position, but the ability of Monte McGary to play at either the safety or cornerback position should give them some flexibility. But I still think that a lot of minutes will be covered by a fairly small collection of players.

Starters: Kenny Logan and Marvin Grant

Logan is the no-brainer pick to start, and I don't think I need to say much here. I fully expect him to make a push for all-conference honors at the end of the season.

Grant gets the nod here because of how well he played last year in a starting role for a good Purdue team. He has a lot of range and decent speed to pressure in the backfield as well, and he should be the perfect second part of a one-two punch at the position.

Backups: Jarrett Paul and OJ Burroughs

Paul is the pick for the primary backup and the third safety if needed for some special coverage packages. His grades out as a better player than any of the other options, and his abilities against the run pair well with the coverage skills of Logan and Grant.

I gave Burroughs the nod here of Gilliom mainly because of the big plays he made last season. I ultimately think he has a ton of potential to grow into productive role, although I don't expect him to get significantly more time this season than he did last year.

Depth

Gilliom and Edwin White-Schultz provide some solid depth for the Jayhawks, but they will likely have more impact on special teams than in the defense itself. Jalen Dye and Kaleb Purdy also look to provide some emergency depth if needed.

Coaching Staff

Jordan Peterson coaches all the defensive backs for the Jayhawks. He came to Kansas in January of 2020 under Les Miles, and was one of the staff members retained when Lance Leipold was hired. Prior to coming to Lawrence, he was the safeties coach at New Mexico from 2017 to 2019, also serving as the defensive coordinator in 2019. He also coached at Fresno State for five seasons.

Peterson's first season at Kansas saw the breakout of Kenny Logan, and his position groups have routinely been some of the best at tackling at each of his stops.

Overall Thoughts

It didn't seem like the lack of depth really held back the safeties last year, but a lot of that might have to do with the fact that the cornerback position was just as thin and didn't have a standout performer like Logan.

But the Jayhawks have shored up both positions this season, and the safeties especially have a deeper well of experience from which to draw. Add in the improvements around the rest of the defense, and this is a team that shouldn't have to get perfect play from the offense every drive to stay in games.

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