Previewing the Defensive Line: 40 Days Until Kansas Football

We continue our positional previews by jumping over to the defensive side. Up first is the defensive line.

© Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

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 jump over to the defense, starting with the guys in the trenches: the defensive line.

Other Positional Previews:

• Quarterbacks
• Running Backs
• Wide Receivers
• Tight Ends
  
• Offensive Line

Last Season

The Jayhawks had 11 different players who recorded at least 100 snaps last season across the defensive line. Here is a list of each of those players (* - player is no longer with the team):

Player Name	Position	Games Played	Total Tackles	Solo Tackles	Tackles For Loss	Sacks	QB Hits	Passes Defended	Interceptions	Fumbles Forced	Fumbles Recovered
Caleb Sampson*	DL	13	26	14	4	2.5	1	2	0	0	0
Eddie Wilson*	DL	13	20	9	1.5	0	0	1	0	0	0
Sam Burt*	DL	13	18	11	1.5	1.5	1	0	0	0	0
Tommy Dunn	DL	12	9	7	1.5	0.5	1	0	0	0	0
Caleb Taylor	DL	11	9	2	1	0.5	0	0	0	0	0
DJ Withers	DL	12	6	4	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Lonnie Phelps*	DE	13	57	45	11.5	7	6	1	0	1	0
Malcolm Lee*	DE	13	31	19	3.5	1	1	2	0	0	0
Jereme Robinson	DE	13	34	22	8.5	3	2	0	0	2	0
Hayden Hatcher	DE	12	18	9	2	0.5	2	0	0	0	0
Zion DeBose	DE	11	8	6	1	0	1	0	0	0	0

Last season saw a few of the depth players from the prior season develop into serviceable starters, but the Jayhawks took a very balanced approach to the season. They played a lot of players and rotated them heavily.

The addition of Lonnie Phelps through the transfer portal was how the Jayhawks looked to replace Kyron Johnson's production, and he was exactly the answer they were looking for.

Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, the strategy of using their extreme depth on the line didn't work as the started to take on more physical offensive lines in the Big 12. They especially struggled against teams that played up-tempo, which prevented them from regularly rotating.

Cause For Concern

The five players that left were among the top six players in terms of snaps and production. While the Jayhawks have quite a few players who contributed last season, none of them were relied on as the main option. Much like last year, there is not a returning player who can be counted on as a sure thing to pile up the stats this season. 

While they have a good amount of depth thanks to multiple transfers, that depth wasn't enough to make the difference last year. Development over this offseason is going to be key for the success of the unit.

Reasons for Optimism

The Jayhawks knew that an exodus was coming (with a lot of seniors), so they planned and brought in a few transfers and some big options from the high school ranks. There are five transfers, all of whom have a large amount of potential to fill in right away.

And given how many of last year's contributors had developed from the prior season, there is plenty of reason to think that the Jayhawks will be able to develop both old and new talent to give them what they need this season. At the very least, they have more guys that can play at a high level.

Projected Depth Chart

The Jayhawks play a base 4-3 defensive front, something that they have struggled to move to fully in the last two seasons. But during Media Days, Leipold confirmed that they feel the switch from the 3-4 has been completed.

DE: Austin Booker/Patrick Joyner

A couple of transfers here that are both expected to make sizeable impacts. Booker had some impressive grades, especially in rushing defense. Unfortunately, those were in VERY limited snaps. But his tools are good and he is expected to be an integral part of the defense.

Joyner has a good pass rush grade over a very large number of snaps last season, so there is hope that he can bring that over to the Jayhawks. The real question is if the jump up in competition from Utah State to the Big 12 will be too much for him at first.

DE: Hayden Hatcher/Dylan Brooks

This was tough, because Brooks is a highly anticipated transfer who came from a good defensive line program in Auburn. But the coaching staff is noted for their preference to keep things consistent where possible, and Hatcher had a very successful season last year. But Brooks is expected to develop quickly, so I expect there to be a good rotation this season.

DT: Jereme Robinson/Gage Keys

Robinson is graded as an edge, but listed on the roster as a defensive tackle. And he exceled in that role last season, where he was able to clog up running lanes. He showed some good coverage skills when he lined up on the edge, but his skills are probably going to be more useful inside.

Keys has a lot of upside, especially with four years of eligibility remaining. So while there are some big expectations for him coming out of Minnesota, I expect him to start in a backup role.

DT: Devin Phillips/Caleb Taylor

Phillips was fantastic against the run last season at Colorado State, and given the struggles the Jayhawks had in that area, he should be a big boost on the interior.

Taylor had some good moments last season, but played a very limited role for the Jayhawks. Kansas does not have many options left at the position from last season though, and this is more of a guess. 

Depth

The Jayhawks have a few guys that could have developed more than expected, but there isn't a lot of proven depth at the position. DJ Withers and Tommy Dunn Jr. both had spot roles in the rotation last year, and a big leap in the offseason could see them vaulting into the rotation again. For the edges, Zion DeBose had a decent season after transferring in from Virginia Tech.

The Jayhawks have shown a propensity to use more players in a rotation than you might expect, and I think who gets called on in relief will differ throughout the year.

Coaching Staff

The Jayhawks have kept the coaching the same for this season, with two different coaches for the defensive line. Jim Panagos joined the staff last season to coach the defensive tackles, and Taiwo Onatolu moved from his role as an analyst to serve as the defensive ends coach and special teams coordinator last year. During spring practices, both coaches agreed that it was helpful to split coaching duties for the defensive line, given the specialization that is required at each of the defensive end and defensive tackle positions.

Panagos coached the defensive line at Rutgers for the two seasons prior to joining the Jayhawks, with previous stops at Minnesota, Temple, UCF and the Minnesota Vikings, all coaching the defensive line. He has a history of coaching up his players, and the 2020 Rutgers team led the Big Ten and ranked 11th in the nation in tackles-for-loss.

Onatolu joined the Kansas staff originally as a special teams analyst in 2021 after spending'5 seasons with Buffalo on the defensive staff, including 3 seasons as the defensive ends coach.

Overall Thoughts

Once again, it's tough to know what to expect from the defensive line. They have a lot of good but not great pieces, and this season there is some worry that they didn't bring in someone with the pedigree of Kyron Johnson or Lonnie Phelps.

But I do think they have enough of an improvement in talent across the line that they could put together a great unit this year. Don't expect any standouts on the line this year, but if Panagos and Onatolu can continue the development that we saw them do last season, then this could be a much better season for the defense.

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