Texas football: Longhorns must prep for an unknown quantity in Kansas offense
Reeling on the injury front and fresh off a rough outing against Oklahoma, one might think a Kansas offense (ranked 106th in the country) coming into DKR Memorial Stadium would be a welcome sight, but a new play-caller brings an unknown quantity to the Texas preparation for the Jayhawks.
Kansas parted ways with veteran offensive assistant Les Koenning two weeks ago following a 45-20 loss to Oklahoma, promoting offensive analyst Brent Dearmon to the coordinator position.
Dearmon, who came to Kansas after stints as an offensive coordinator at Division II Arkansas Tech and as head coach at NAIA Bethel, was seen earlier this year arriving in Lawrence for work in a 2009 Toyota Carolla with the check engine light on during an episode of ESPN Plus's Miles to Go.
Dearmon's offenses are known for unpredictability and high scoring. Bethel put up more than 55 points per game during his stint with the college, including a 92-point outing in one game.
Dearmon's offenses are known for being extremely multiple, according to former Bethel quarterback Sam Castronova, who spoke with 247 Sports' Kevin Flaherty.
“We were everywhere from empty to 21 personnel (two running backs, one tight end) and we did it every game and we did all of them a game,” Castronova told 247 Sports. “I’d say our base was probably 11 with a tight end or an H-back, a guy who’s a really good blocker but can also catch some passes if you need him to. We had a big boy who was 6-5 270 but he was a tight end. So he could do both tight end and H-back last year and that was nice to have because he was I think third on the team in receiving yards and second in touchdowns, but he was also 270-280 pounds, so he could definitely block some people.”
The Longhorns will spend some of the week watching Bethel film as well as some Kansas stuff. While it's anyone's guess how much of Dearmon's NAIA past we will see mixed in with the Jayhawks' present, the Longhorns aren't taking it lightly.
"Any type of football can be good football," Texas defensive lineman Keondre Coburn said. "It doesn't matter what division or conference it is."
