Top 120 countdown No. 16 Kansas

OFFENSE

THE SCHEME: The Jayhawks run a spread attack and usually line up with a running back and four wide receivers. There could be more three-receiver, one-tight end sets this season because TE Tim Biere has some skills.

STAR POWER: Junior Dezmon Briscoe is one of the most productive wide receivers in the nation. He has a nice mix of speed, size and strength. He had 92 catches for a school-record 1,407 yards and a school-record 15 touchdown receptions last season. He had 23 plays of at least 20 yards and averaged 15.3 yards per catch. And we can't forget to mention senior QB Todd Reesing. So what if he's just 5 feet 11? He is an excellent college quarterback. He has thrown for 7,578 yards, with 68 touchdowns and 23 picks, and has completed 64.2 percent of his passes in his career. Sixty-five of the TD passes have come in the past two seasons. A 4,000-yard season is possible this fall.

IMPACT NEWCOMER: KU could start three redshirt freshmen on the line, and the best should be T Tanner Hawkinson. He was an all-state tight end as a high school junior in Kansas, then an all-state defensive end as a senior. Needless to say, he's a good athlete with the quick feet necessary to thrive at tackle. He's still a little on the light side - he weighs just 270 pounds - but his athleticism should enable him to get by as he continues to add weight, bulk and strength.

WATCH FOR HIM TO EMERGE: Sophomore Jeremiah Hatch started 12 games at tackle last season - three on the right side, nine on the left - and had a solid season. But he moved to his more natural position of center in the spring and eventually should blossom into one of the best interior linemen in the Big 12. For a 300-pounder, Hatch - a former all-state performer at Dallas Carter - has a weird favorite athlete: He goes with skateboarder Tony Hawk.

STRONGEST AREA: KU is loaded at receiver. First, there's Briscoe, one of the most explosive players in the nation. Then, there's steady senior Kerry Meier, who actually led KU in receptions last season with 97, good for 1,045 yards and eight touchdowns. He has caught at least two passes in 21 consecutive games. The forgotten guy is junior Johnathan Wilson, who had 43 catches for 573 yards and three TDs. Depth is adequate, too.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: KU scored 23 rushing TDs last season, including 12 by starting RB Jake Sharp. Truth be told, though, this rushing attack scares no one. Sharp is a tough guy and runs hard, but he is not a breakaway threat. Indeed, there isn't a breakaway threat on the roster. Sharp wore down late last season, and last season's backup, Angus Quigley, has been moved to linebacker this season. KU also will have three new starters on the line, and all three could be redshirt freshmen. So, not only is there a question about the running backs, there's a question about the line as well.

GRADE: A-minus

DEFENSE

THE SCHEME: The Jayhawks could use the 4-2-5 as their base defense this season because of the number of opponents who play the spread. Plus, they have a lot of defensive backs and a thin group of linebackers. All three starting linebackers graduated, and it's a heck of a lot easier to find four solid linebackers than it is to find six.

STAR POWER: Senior SS Darrell Stuckey is a legit All-Big 12 candidate. Stuckey was second on the team with 98 tackles last season, and he had five interceptions and seven pass breakups. He has good size and speed, and he packs a punch.

IMPACT NEWCOMER: Redshirt freshman T Duane Zlatnik heads into fall camp as a backup on the depth chart, but he's likely to see extensive action this season. He was a three-time state wrestling champ in Kansas and has added almost 30 pounds, to 303, since arriving on campus last summer. He's strong and athletic, and he has the potential to develop into a well-rounded tackle, equally adept at stopping the run and putting pressure on the passer. Another guy to watch is LB Vernon Brooks, a junior college transfer who signed in June after some academic questions were cleared up. If he's as good as his junior college numbers at Blinn College (Brenham, Texas) would indicate, he will play this season.

WATCH FOR HIM TO EMERGE: Sophomore CB Daymond Patterson was thrown into the fray at midseason, switching from wide receiver to cornerback - and moving into the starting lineup to boot. Patterson has excellent quickness and speed, and he also possesses good hands. He's also not afraid to stick his head in there in run support.

STRONGEST AREA: The secondary should be solid this season. For one, it's headed by Stuckey. Second, Patterson should be far better acclimated this season. FS Phillip Strozier should be steady, and nickel back Chris Harris can make plays. At the other cornerback spot, senior Justin Thornton - who started last season - is trying to hold off sophomore Anthony Davis. Both have good size and will see a lot of playing time.

BIGGEST PROBLEM: The secondary was a sieve last season, but you can't lay all the blame at the feet of the defensive backs. KU lacked a consistent pass rush last season, which put extra pressure on the defensive backs. The leading sack man was LB James Holt, and he is gone. So are LBs Mike Rivera and Joe Mortensen. Among them, those starting linebackers had 14 of the Jayhawks' 28 sacks. E Jake Laptad had seven sacks and needs to approximate or pass those numbers this season. T Jamal Greene had two sacks last season, and he is No. 2 on the returning sacks list. Quite simply, another end has to step up to help Laptad. Seniors Dustin Spears, Maxwell Onyegbule and Jeff Wheeler and JC transfer Quintin Woods are the guys who will get an opportunity to come through.

GRADE: B-minus

SPECIAL TEAMS

K Jacob Branstetter and P Alonso Rojas return. Branstetter was 9-for-12 on field-goal attempts, but just 3-for-6 from beyond 30 yards and his longest was 34. Rojas was adequate as a punter, and he also kicked a 47-yard field goal. Patterson has the potential to be one of the best punt returners in the Big 12. Briscoe showed some ability on kickoff returns last season and could get the job; the flipside is the risk of injury to the team's most talented player. The coverage teams were lacking last season, especially the punt-coverage unit.

GRADE: C

COACHING

Mark Mangino has done a nice job rebuilding Kansas football. It's too bad he doesn't get enough notice for his work. Ed Warinner is the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, and he deserves plaudits for Reesing's development. The defense has co-coordinators, with holdover Clint Bowen - who also is the safeties coach - and newcomer Bill Miller sharing the job. Miller comes from Louisville and coaches linebackers. Their work will be scrutinized this season.

GRADE: B

DATE	OPPONENT
Sept. 5	Northern Colorado
Sept. 12	at UTEP
Sept. 19	Duke
Sept. 26	Southern Miss
Oct. 10	Iowa State
Oct. 17	at Colorado
Oct. 24	Oklahoma
Oct. 31	at Texas Tech
Nov. 7	at Kansas State
Nov. 14	Nebraska
Nov. 21	at Texas
Nov. 28	Missouri

SCHEDULE

Only one of the first six opponents went bowling last season, but the schedule gets noticeably tougher in the second half of the season. Actually, there are some tough games early, like a visit to offense-minded UTEP on Sept. 12 and a home game against offense-minded Southern Miss on Sept. 26. In other words, the defense will be tested early. One negative about the schedule: KU's Big 12 crossover games against South Division teams come against Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, with the games against the Longhorns and Red Raiders on the road. Yikes. It's conceivable KU goes 0-3 against South Division teams, and that means it would need to go 5-0 against Big 12 North foes to have a legit shot at the division title. At least the Nov. 14 game against Nebraska, which could determine the North Division title, is in Lawrence.

OVERALL OUTLOOK

KU again will have a powerful offense, thanks to Reesing and a top-notch passing attack. The ground game is no great shakes, and if the defense is as mediocre as it was last season - when it gave up at least 33 points seven times and allowed an astounding 45 points per game in the Jayhawks' five losses - a 7-5 or 6-6 season beckons. If the defense has made some improvements, this could be a 10-win team. More likely is eight or nine wins and a Big 12 North title.

- MIKE HUGUENIN

OFFENSE QB Todd Reesing* (5-11, 200, Sr.) Kale Pick (6-2, 200, R-Fr.) RB Jake Sharp* (5-10, 190, Sr.) Rell Lewis (5-10, 201, Soph.) WR Dezmon Briscoe* (6-3, 202, Jr.) Tertavian Ingram (6-0, 200, Jr.) WR Kerry Meier* (6-3, 221, Sr.) A.J. Steward (6-4, 230, Soph.) WR Johnathan Wilson* (6-3, 189, Jr.) Isiah Barfield (6-0, 184, Soph.) TE Tim Biere (6-4, 250, Soph.) A.J. Steward (6-4, 230, Soph.) T Tanner Hawkinson (6-6, 270, R-Fr.) Ian Wolfe (6-5, 295, Jr.) T Jeff Spikes* (6-6, 314, Soph.) Michael Martinovich (6-4, 269, Soph.) G Trevor Marrongelli (6-4, 285, R-Fr.) Sal Capra (6-3, 292, Jr.) G John Williams (6-4, 338, R-Fr.) Carl Wilson (6-4, 292, Jr.) C Jeremiah Hatch% (6-3, 311, Soph.) Brad Thorson (6-3, 290, Jr.) K Jacob Branstetter* (5-10, 182, Jr.) PR Daymond Patterson (5-9, 175, Soph.)	DEFENSE E Jake Laptad* (6-4, 258, Jr.) Dustin Spears (6-5, 242, Sr.) T Caleb Blakesley* (6-5, 292, Sr.) Duane Zlatnik (6-4, 303, R-Fr.) T Richard Johnson* (6-2, 280, Soph.) Jamal Greene* (6-4, 303, Jr.) E Maxwell Onyegbule (6-5, 252, Sr.) Jeff Wheeler (6-7, 260, Sr.) LB Angus Quigley (6-2, 226, Sr.) Justin Springer (6-4, 242, Jr.) LB Arist Wright (6-0, 226, Sr.) Steven Johnson (6-2, 225, Soph.) CB Anthony Davis (6-0, 192, Soph.) Justin Thornton* (6-1, 213, Sr.) CB Daymond Patterson* (5-9, 175, Soph.) Greg Brown (5-11, 177, R-Fr.) FS Phillip Strozier (6-1, 201, Jr.) Chris Harris (6-0, 185, Jr.) SS Darrell Stuckey* (6-1, 205, Sr.) Lubbock Smith (5-11, 192, R-Fr.) NB Chris Harris* (6-0, 185, Jr.) Calvin Rubles (6-3, 200, Jr.) P Alonso Rojas* (6-3, 220, Jr.) KR Dezmon Briscoe (6-3, 202, Jr.)
(NOTE: *--denotes returning starter; %--denotes returning starter who has changed positions.)