Caleb Blakesley and Jamal Greene are the worst. In the locker room before and after practice, the two defensive tackles make sure to remind sophomore Darius Parish that he’s different now. That he’s no longer one of them.

Essentially, Parish has switched from ally to enemy.

“I’ve been catching a lot of flak from those guys,” Parish said, grinning.

Originally a defensive tackle, Parish reversed roles and lined up at offensive tackle during Tuesday’s practice — a spot he will remain at this season.

Along with the position change, Parish sported the number 55 and played at a slimmed down weight of 314 pounds. Last season, as a freshman, Parish wore number 93 and weighed 341 pounds.

And as expected the switch has amounted to a somewhat hectic offseason.

“Learning the plays quick, quick, quick is tough because we’re moving so fast through camp,” Parish said. “Right now I’m just working to get my pass protection down and just learning the plays.”

With little understanding of the offense before the switch, Parish is in catch-up mode early in summer practices. In his free time, Parish said his playbook is not far from his side, and he’s also taking notes to better grasp Kansas’ offensive schemes.

“As far as footwork and handwork, he’s doing everything just like me when I started out,” sophomore center Jeremiah Hatch said. “He’s doing everything he needs to do. We just need to keep working along with him. Us guys have to help him out.”

Coach Mark Mangino and his staff approached Parish before the start of training camp with a simple sales pitch: Switching to the offensive line would not only better the team, it would also better Parish.

With the defensive line forming a nucleus of reliable options through spring practices, Parish adds more depth on the offensive line without significantly diminishing Kansas’ other defensive front.

“Darius had offensive line written all over him from day one. But we didn’t have much depth on the defensive line last year so out of necessity we had to use him there,” Mangino said. “I think he has found a home and I think he will end up being a good football player for us on the offensive line.”

Parish made eight tackles in 12 games last season and earned considerable playing time on the defensive front. But now his mindset shifts to preventing those same disruptive plays he once sought as a defensive tackle.

But he’s far from a refined product. Parish said he has three areas in which he needs to improve: technique, stamina and understanding of the offense. From there, he expects to see the playing field behind Kansas’ starting offensive tackles.

“Once I get those things going, I think I’ll be on the field more rotating with probably Jeff Spikes and Tanner Hawkinson,” Parish said. “As long as I get my plays, technique and stamina I think I’ll be on the field.”

— — Edited by Tim Burgess