47 Days Until Kansas Football: Previewing the Offensive Line
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 continue our series with more of the offense. Today, we jump into a position that returns the majority of its starters: the offensive line.
Other Positional Previews:
Last Season
The Jayhawks were very fortunate last season, as they had a measure of consistency across the offensive line. The 5 starters all played significantly more snaps than their backups, and most remained fairly healthy through the majority of the season.
| Player Name | Position | Games Played | Total Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|
Earl Bostick, Jr. | LT | 12 | 745 |
Malik Clark | LG | 10 | 569 |
Mike Novitsky | C | 12 | 748 |
Michael Ford, Jr | RG | 11 | 727 |
Bryce Cabeldue | RT | 12 | 633 |
Adagio Lopeti | C/RT | 8 | 151 |
Joseph Gilbertson | LG | 5 | 182 |
Colin Grunhard | RG | 2 | 62 |
The Jayhawks did not have an offensive lineman who graded out very highly according to Pro Football Focus, but as a whole the offensive line was better at pass blocking than run blocking.
While I don't think the offensive line played well enough to win any awards, they were markedly improved from the prior decade. In fact, the 2021 season was so far ahead of a year like 2020, when Jalon Daniels was running for his life on every single snap, even when he was supposed to be handing the ball off to a running back.
Mike Novitsky provided an anchor on the line at the center position, and the rest of the line developed throughout the course of the season to get to a point where it was difficult to single them out as a huge liability by the end of the year.
Cause For Concern
While it is fair to expect that there will be some improvement from last season to this season, it's not like everything went well last season. It took quite a bit of time for the offensive line to build the consistency and chemistry that it needed to be successful. The early schedule includes multiple defenses with strong defensive lines, which means the team could struggle early.
Reasons for Optimism
The Jayhawks are returning four starters from last season, with Malik Clark being the only departure for the team. The unit did improve drastically over the course of last season, and by the end of the year there was a chemistry that was undeniable.
And coming in to replace Clark is either Armaj Adams-Reed, a junior who was expected to have a good season after a promising end to the 2020 season. Additionally, Nolan Gorczyca is transferring in from Buffalo, where he was recruited by Leipold. He has some work to crack the rotation, but there is at least some optimism.
Projected Depth Chart
I don't expect there to be a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the starters, but the depth chart is in flux due to a lot of last year's depth graduating and being unavailable this season.
LT: Earl Bostick Jr/Jackson Satterwhite
Bostick played well last season, being named honorable mention All-Big 12 to end the season. He also received some recognition in the pre-season this year, being named to the 2nd Team All-Big 12 offense by Phil Steele. He had an opportunity to leave as a super senior this season, but decided to come back for one more run as a starter on this team. There is no question he is the starter as long as he is healthy.
Satterwhite has the ability to play multiple positions along the line, and I expect him to be the first guy off the bench at either center or either tackle spot. He's exactly what you want in a backup, dependable in a spot situation, but he probably isn't going to push for a starting role anywhere.
LG: Armaj Adams-Reed/Nolan Gorczyca
This is the hardest position to preduct, because there isn't a starter left over from last season. Adams-Reed has the advantage having been on the roster for multiple seasons, and he also one of the highest rated recruits on the offensive line. But I wouldn't be surprised if there is some serious competition for this spot in camp this season.
C: Mike Novitsky/Jackson Satterwhite
Novitsky was a very good center at Buffalo, and he continued to be a very good center for the Jayhawks last season. The job is his so long as he is healthy.
Satterwhite filled in as the backup very rarely last season, but there is no one else that I could even begin to think would be that guy.
RG: Michael Ford Jr/Nolan Gorczyca
There really is no competition at this spot, as Ford is the clear starter for the Jayhawks here. I have no reason to think that he won't be here the entire year, especially since there is no other player on the roster who is primarily a right guard.
Gorczyca is here mainly because he is the first option off the bench for the guard position. I don't see him having a problem filling in on either side of the line.
RT: Bryce Cabeldue/Deondre Doiron
If there is a returning starter who's job might be in jeopardy, it would be Cabeldue. While he played well last year, he was one of the guys that had a lower number of snaps among the starters. Lopeti made a case for why he should have been on the field, and Cabeldue struggled at times. I expect him to get the starting nod due to familiarity with the system and coaching staff.
But the transfer of Doiron makes this interesting, as he started 10 of the 12 games for Buffalo last season. The main issue here is that he was great at run blocking, but abysmal at pass blocking. How quickly he can shore up that part of his game will determine how much time he sees on the field
Depth
The Jayhawks have a nice mix of decently rated young players and experienced veterans that can help set the tone in practice, even if they aren't likely to see the field. It's hard to imagine that the Jayhawks have the pieces here to replace multiple starters though, so health is going to be important for the Jayhawks this season.
Coaching Staff
The offensive line is coached by Scott Fuchs, who is in his second season with the Jayhawks. He came to Kansas with Lance Leipold, and coached the offensive line for two seasons at Buffalo before coming to Lawrence.
While at Buffalo, he helped develop the position into a strength of the offense. He was a finalist for the FootballScoop Offensive Line Coach of the Year, and Buffalo's offensive lines were consistently recognized as among the best in the nation under his direction.
The improvement last season across the line was evident, and the expectations couldn't be higher going into this season.
Overall Thoughts
As always, the performance of the offensive line will be one of the most important factors in how the season goes. Jayhawk fans are used to seeing some really bad line play, but last season gave many hope that the improvement can be real this time.
It's helpful that there is so much continuity from one season to the next, but I'm most interested in how the new pieces will enhance the unit this season. All in all, I think Kansas fans should be excited to see what is coming next for this unit this year.
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