Fall Camp Review - Days 1 & 2: 30 Days Until Kansas Football

Just two days into Fall Camp for the Kansas Jayhawks, Lance Leipold already likes what he is seeing. "It was great to be out there and see the energy," he said after the first day of camp. And all across the team, the players and coaches alike feel like there are huge strides being made as we get ready for the season.

So let's take a look at the main storylines to come out of the first days of camp:

Continuing to Build

The thing that stuck out the most from both Leipold's press conference on Tuesday and Brian Borland's today was that the team didn't have to catch up after the time off. Leipold remarked that they "didn't spend a lot of time having to coach effort and putting the ball away and doing those things that a lot of times you have to really harp on in the first days."

But while it felt more like a continuation of the end of last season than a reboot, Leipold noted that they are still striving to improve, with the first efforts already showing big strides. "You always have something to work on" He highlighted the role that the coaching staff has, needing to identify areas where improvement is possible and where they can be most effective in improving the team.

But the one thing that last season highlighted was the need to keep players healthy. With pretty much everyone back and ready to go for the season, one of the biggest keys to the season might just be keeping everyone healthy throughout the entire preseason.

Big Strength Gains

Leipold had nothing but positive things to say about the strength and conditioning staff that was able to work with the players during the summer. And the list of guys that he pointed out were numerous and incomplete.

His highlights included OJ Burroughs and Marvin Grant, who have made big strides. And most encouraging was that multiple defensive lineman were included. DJ Withers is noticeably stronger. Devin Phillips has bulked up significantly since arriving. Caleb Taylor has been able to put on weight without sacrificing speed. And more names popped up throughout the rest of the press conference.

Quentin Skinner has put on some weight and strength, which has helped him with his route running. I could probably spend another 1000 words going through guys, but I think the point has been made.

Defense Expects to be a Strength.

Defensive Coordinator Brian Borland has heard all the talk about his area of responsibility was a "problem" last year. While many thought that the defense was the limiting factor for the team's success last season. But he doesn't expect that to be an issue this season.

"There were times last year where we were a good, solid, dominant unit every once in a while, but that wasn't an every week thing. We've talked about being the strong link in the chain..."

The attitude on the defense has improved as well, with players feeling like they are in a better position to contribute and push the Jayhawks to where they need to be. Borland mentioned that once again there is no "star" on the defensive line, but that even more than last year, multiple guys have the capability to develop into that player over the course of the season.

We'll continue to give you updates throughout Fall Camp, all the way to kick off.

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