Takeaways from Big 12 Media Days: 51 Days Until Kansas Football

The Jayhawks were one of the big draws at Big 12 Media Days today, and we recap everything to come out of the day.

© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Whether it was the additional schools making their debut at the Big 12 Media Days or a lack of realignment excitement around the nation, this year's event seemed to dial back some of the energy that we saw last year in the same event.  With the newness of Commissioner Brett Yormark being gone, this year focused less on the pageantry and ceremony and instead highlighted the big steps the conference has made in just a year.

Contents

1. The Big 12 has done a lot in the last year.
3. Jalon Daniels is still looking to improve.
5. Big leaps expected across the board.
6. The defensive transition is complete.

The Kansas Jayhawks made one of the biggest splashes among the attendees, as head coach Lance Leipold and Jalon Daniels headlined a group of players that are looking to make some big jumps this season. 

We followed along with most of the action today, and you can find reactions and commentary throughout the day here. But there were a few big takeaways from the first day of the event, so let's jump into a few of them.

The Big 12 has done a lot in the last year.

The first year under Brett Yormark's leadership was a very busy one, as the conference unveiled a slew of new initiatives and rebranding efforts to help the Big 12 find its place in the college sports landscape.

Yormark and the @Big12Conference really have gotten a LOT done over the past 12 months.#youngerhippercooler #Big12MediaDays pic.twitter.com/SCL0JZJWKp

— Ten12 Podcast Network (@Ten12Network) July 12, 2023

From the complete reorganization of the Big 12 leadership team to the huge national initiatives, it's hard to find an area where the conference didn't make a significant change.

The biggest point is obviously the one at the top, with the conference securing and finalizing the next round of television agreements that give the league a base of stability that they can work from. Yormark got a lot of credit for keeping the number up in the face of Oklahoma and Texas leaving the conference, and his efforts have gone a long way towards the positive feelings that are evident among all the attendees at Media Days.

I did find it interesting that Yormark listed the early withdrawal of Oklahoma and Texas as an accomplishment, but his reasoning made sense. It was clear from the beginning that those two members would prefer to make the transition as soon as possible, and the ability to allow that to happen while still extracting value from them leaving is a big win for the conference.

Jalon Daniels is still looking to improve.

If there was one thing that you couldn't say about Daniels last season, it was that he lacked confidence in his abilities. But that's exactly what he mentioned today when he talked about how he can step his game up for next season. He mentioned multiple times that he wanted to exude even more confidence because his attitude and belief in the system rubs off on the other players.

And this team has the experience to feel confident in themselves. Daniels had probably one of the most talked about pieces of attire hanging around his neck, and it showed off a lot of the reasons he has to feel good about going into this season.

Caught up with the most talked about guy at Big 12 Media Day @JalonDaniels6 #RockChalk | #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/28rZaUCP0K

— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) July 12, 2023

But the craziest part of his statements (at least for the opponents) is the area that he identified as his biggest area to improve: the ability to extend plays, get outside the pocket and make things happen. It's hard to imagine exactly how much better he can be at that this upcoming season, but I'm excited to find out. 

Big leaps expected across the board.

For the Jayhawks to be successful, everyone is going to have to be better this season, including some of the biggest stars like running back Devin Neal. Both Leipold and Daniels raved about the development they have seen from the Lawrence native, and they expect to see another leap from him this season.

But his success may depend on how well Daniel Hishaw bounces back from injury. He was well on his way to an electric season of his own before suffering a season-ending hip injury against Iowa State last year. All reports are that he is back and ready to work, with just as much speed and ability as before.

The biggest leaps may come from the additional personnel added this season though. Logan Brown was highlighted as an important depth piece for an offensive line that is versatile, talented and returning almost everyone. And that hasn't even touched on the biggest infusion of talent: the defensive line.

The defensive transition is complete.

Leipold addressed the defensive issues that the Jayhawks have struggled with for multiple seasons, tracing them back to an incomplete transition from a 3-4 base defense to the current 4-3 base defense.

With the lack of true standout guys on the defensive line, the Jayhawks have turned to a rotation the last couple of seasons to try and fill the gaps. The approach has been to wear down the opponent and then take advantage in the fourth quarter when they have fresh legs. But teams were able to exploit that with a very thin roster of defensive lineman who could take on some of the best offensive lines in the conference.

The Jayhawks expect that to be different this year. The defensive line has been totally reworked, with four big transfers that are expected to immediately earn starting minutes. Gone are the excuses of transitioning from one scheme to the next. Leipold confirmed today that Kansas has the type of personnel that they expect to need to make the new system successful. The only question now is how quickly they can find that success.

There will be plenty of other storylines to talk about, especially with another full day of press conferences tomorrow.

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