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We’ve reached the part of the summer where the national outlets look across the country to identify which players are ready to show out for their teams this season. And with the release of the Phil Steele Magazine, the Jayhawks have started off strong. Steele lists four All-American teams, and four All-Big 12 teams, and the Jayhawks are represented on almost all of them.
Headlining the selections is senior Cobee Bryant, who earned a nod as a 2nd Team Preseason All-American and a 1st Team Preseason All-Big 12. The cornerback for the Jayhawks had a second straight electric year, and his return is a big reason why the Jayhawks are expected to be able to compete in the conference race this year.
Joining him on an All-American team is senior running back Devin Neal, who was tabbed on the fourth team nationally and the second team in the conference. With so many great options at running back just in the Big 12, it’s not that surprising that Neal took a dip from last season, even if he could greatly exceed expectations in this offense yet again.
Rounding out the All-Big 12 selections for the Jayhawks are three defenders, two offensive players and a member of the special teams. On the second team is senior defensive end Jereme Robinson and senior cornerback Mello Dotson. Appearing on the third team is senior wide receiver Quentin Skinner and senior offensive guard Michael Ford. And the fourth team has red-shirt junior linebacker JB Brown and red-shirt senior long snapper Luke Hosford representing Kansas.
Not appearing are some pretty big names for the Jayhawks, including quarterback Jalon Daniels, wide receivers Luke Grimm and Lawrence Arnold and any of the defensive additions that are likely to anchor the team in the middle. But fans need to remember that these honors are typically given to individuals who not only are expected to be big contributors this season, but are building on a big performance last year.
With so many offensive weapons on this roster, it’s not surprising that only one of the wide receivers was selected. None of them have enough of a pedigree individually to require an inclusion. There is a limit to the number of guys that can make these teams because of their great situation.
And Daniels spent the majority of the last season on the bench, dealing with a nagging injury that limited him somewhat in his time on the field as well. Until he can actually show that those injuries are behind him, it’s perfectly fair to wonder what his season is going to look like.
But what is clear in these early honors is that the Jayhawks have continued to garner the respect that comes with the success from the last few seasons. And as the recruiting continues to get better and Leipold and his staff continue to develop the guys that they bring to campus, you can expect to start seeing even more of these in the years to come.
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