Monday, March 30, 2009
Sophomore wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe and sophomore defensive tackle Jamal Greene have been suspended for a violation of team policy and have not practiced this spring, coach Mark Mangino said Friday.
“I’ll review (Briscoe’s) case next week, him and Jamal Greene both,” Mangino said.
Briscoe, an All-Big 12 Second Team selection last year, set a school record of 1,407 receiving yards off 92 receptions and a record 15 touchdowns. Greene started the final seven games and appeared in all 13.
File photo by Ryan McGeeney/KANSAN
Junior wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe blocks against a Kansas State defender during the Jayhawks' Nov. 1 victory in Memorial Stadium. Briscoe has been suspended for the spring due to an unspecified violation of team rules.
Usually reserved for assessing personnel and tweaking game plans, this spring has challenged the Jayhawks with the always tough to scout Kansas weather.
“So far practice has been going well ... when we’re on the field,” Mangino said. “It’s just that Mother Nature has been our biggest challenge so far. We’ve got positions we’ve got to get better at and areas of the game to improve.”
Winter storm threats moved Friday’s practice, originally open to the public, indoors to Anschutz Sports Pavilion. Wednesday’s practice, scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium, is open to the public.
“It’s that Kansas weather,” junior wide receiver Kerry Meier said. “I’ve grown up in it and I’ve never known what to expect. It definitely affects practice. I try and relay to other guys that we’re still going to practice, we’re still going to bang.”
Regardless of the venue, spring practices have offered a first glimpse of players transitioning to new roster positions. Prior to this offseason, Mangino announced the moves of redshirt freshman Tanner Hawkinson from tight end to left tackle, freshman Jeremiah Hatch from tackle to center, junior Angus Quigley from running back to linebacker and freshman Isiah Barfield from cornerback to wide receiver.
Also on the agenda has been easing Meier into practicing solely with receivers and moving freshman Kale Pick to the backup quarterback position by spring’s end.
“We’re trying to get to a situation where Kale is really comfortable with the entire system and feels good about everything and to get Kerry full work at wide receiver,” Mangino said. “We won’t do that until we’re sure that Kale is ready to be that backup guy.”
Mangino said Pick has practiced very little with the first-team offense but did rotate with Meier and junior starter Todd Reesing in drills towards the end of the day Friday. For much of the day he had little trouble locating open receivers and at one point taking off upfield for a quick first down. Pick’s teammates at the position have offered him perspective on the importance of experience.
“Right now going through spring ball and sitting with (Pick) in the film room, he knows what he’s doing,” Meier said. “He has the physical abilities to keep it going but that game experience is irreplaceable.”
Meier set a school record with 97 receptions last season, doing so while splitting time between practicing at wide receiver and quarterback. At this point, Meier estimated his reps as being 70 percent wide receiver, 30 percent quarterback, providing extra incentive for excitement.
“That’s what keeps me kind of excited and high about next year is that spending just half the amount of time at receiver I had that many catches and if I increase it,” Meier said. “But that could be all talk.”
— — Edited by Sam Speer
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