Preview 2007: KU Defensive Line

Bounce Back

Did we miss Charlton Keith and Jermail Ashley last year? The theory was that we'd be able to plug in the reserves from 2005 and their loss would be minimal. It turns out that we may have actually underestimated Keith and Ashley. Along with the obvious factors, the end position was implicated a number times last year for the failure to mount a better pass defense. Perhaps it was just part of the overall change as the defense replaced eight starters. Still, fans and coaches now have a pretty high standard for the defensive line and the unit better get used to being compared to the Keith/Ashley peak.

Though 2005 wasn't up to that standard, two things did occur that bode well for the future:

1) The defensive tackles became a force and though Wayne Wilder is gone, James McClinton will be back and looking to make some noise. He did some talking in 2006 and he backed it up. You gotta love that. Our other experienced tackles are Caleb Blakesley and Todd Haselhorst. Blakesley had a great year for a freshman and Haselhorst can get the job done. He proved that when he played the position as a true freshman.

2) A lot of the younger players got some great experience at defensive end. Russell Brorsen actually started several games last year and held his own. This could be a breakout year for the junior. Both John Larson and Jeff Wheeler had their names called on big plays last year. Jason Thompson also got into the action as a true freshman.

So can the d-line bounce back in 2007? If redshirt freshman DE Maxwell Onyegbule can live up to the recent hype we're hearing (thread from Rock Chalk Wednesday), then things certainly look good. He's already listed as the starter opposite Brorsen at end. With their experience from 2006, Larson, Wheeler and Thompson should provide a great, aggressive rotation.

At tackle, McClinton is already a known commodity around the Big 12 and I suspect that Todd Haselhorst is ready to become the big-time player that we remember from his freshman year. Blakesley is a capable, young player that is continuing to improve.

As for the recruiting class, KU did a good job of building some depth. Getting Aaron Mack in would have been nice to create some competition for starter at DE, but again, if Onyegbule works out then its not that big of a loss. The best news is that it looks like we have a legitimate shot to redshirt all three.

In House

DEFENSIVE END
81 Russell Brorsen Jr. 6-4/240 Stillwater, OK (Stillwater HS)
Recruited: 2005 ** 4.8/40

47 Maxwell Onyegbule Fr/RS 6-4/250 Arlington, TX (Arlington HS)
Recruited: 2006 *** 5.02/40 

95 Jason Thompson So. 6-6/260 Dallas, TX (Madison HS)
Recruited: 2006 *** 4.7/40

87 John Larson Jr. 6-3/250 Overland Park, KS (Pembroke Hill HS)
 
84 Jeff Wheeler So. 6-7/250 Houston, TX (Clear Lake HS)
Recruited: 2005 ** 4.9/40

90 Richard Alspaugh Jr. 6-3/225 Overland Park, KS (Blue Valley Northwest HS)

71 Luke Templin So. 6-2/270 Andover, KS (Central HS)
 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
93 James McClinton Sr. 6-1/285 Garland, TX (Lakeview Centennial HS)
Recruited: 2004 *** 5.2/40
 
72 Todd Haselhorst Jr. 6-4/300 Olathe, KS (Olathe East HS)

94 Caleb Blakesley So. 6-5/285 Ottawa, KS (Ottawa)
Recruited: 2005 *** 5.0/40

99 Jamal Greene Fr/RS 6-4/295 Kansas City, KS (Washington HS)
Recruited: 2006 *** 4.8/40

Incoming

*** Richard Johnson Jr. DE -- 6-4/255/5.0 -- Jefferson City, MO
*** Patrick Dorsey DT -- 5-11/263/5.22 -- Houston, TX
**  Jake Laptad DE -- 6-4/215 -- Jenks, OK

                              
2006 D-LINE STATS       GP Solo  Ast Total TFL/Yds Sck-Yds 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
93 McClinton, James      12   38   13    51    16-60     6-41
98 Como, Paul                12   26   17    43     9-31     5-21
81 Brorsen, Russell       12   18   15    33     6-13     4-11 
91 Wilder, Wayne          12   20   11    31     5-29     3-24
92 Allen, Rodney           12   10     4    14     3-21     3-21
87 Larson, John            10     8     5    13      3-9      2-8 
84 Wheeler, Jeff            12     5     2     7      2-22     2-22
94 Blakesley, Caleb        11    2     3      5      1-4      1-4
95 Thompson, Jason        3    2     .      2         .        .       
47 Onyegbule, Maxwell    2    1     .      1         .        .       
72 Haselhorst, Todd         6    1     .      1        1-1       .       .

Recruiting Rating Source: Rivals.com