Kansas Football: Toben Opurum Trade-Off Takes Twist With Rell Lewis Injury

Ahh injuries.  They can really change the look of a team, can't they?

Pardon my chronology, because I don't remember this all particularly well, but I believe Angus Quigley joined the Jayhawks with a decent chance to play early on in his career. 

The depth chart opened up a bit when fellow running back John Randle tried valiantly to injure a non-football player at a bar and was removed from the team for doing so.

Jon Cornish took over and Quigley went on to spend a season redshirted and another on the injured list.

After recovering from his injury and spending one season as a wide receiver then the next back at running back, linebacker Justin Springer's injury issues helped indirectly lead to Quigley's switch to defense in 2009. 

Ironically, an 'injury' to fellow linebacker Arist Wright's chest (caused by a stubby finger and a foul mouth from Mark Mangino) combined with a lingering ankle injury to running back Toben Opurum both had a part in Quigley's opportunity not only to re-become a  running back, but to become the Jayhawks' starting running back as well.

Now that Quigley is a runningback, injuries to Huldon Tharp and Ed Fink really weakened the linebacker position.  I know Quigley didn't want to be a linebacker, but he certainly would've had the opportunity to play had he stayed there.

The need for depth at the linebacker position led to Opurum, recently recovered from his ankle injury, switching to linebacker (a temporary move in my mind, yet others are seeing it as a move for the future). 

Ironically enough, he'll be playing behind Justin Springer (playing at an injury free 100 percent for the first time in two years), Steven Johnson (whose scholarship offer was repealed by KU after knee injuries in high school, but who decided to walk on anyway) and Drew Dudley (whose injury during spring ball paved the way for Steven Johnson).

Now comes the most current happening; runningback Rell Lewis recently suffered an injury to his knee that will keep him out of action for awhile.

In my mind, with Lewis healthy, true freshmen James Sims and Brandon Bourbon probably would have redshirted the season.  Now with Rell lost to injury and Toben on the other side of the ball, it may not be so easy.

I think for the moment we can assume that Turner Gill will be more than happy to suffice with Quigley and number-two back Deshaun Sands getting all the carries.  It probably would've worked out that way anyway.

Still, keep an eye out on the runningback corps because if there's another injury before Lewis is able to return we could quickly see another back in the mix.

Rivals.com is pretty high on Bourbon's mix of size and speed, while ESPN.com's scout pages favor Sims who was an extremely successful high school back in the great football state of Texas.

It may be the least likely scenario, but depending on the situation I'm sure walk-on redshirt freshman Ryan Burton would love to be the emergency number three back.  (There's a little bit of a personal bias here, though).

Whatever it may be, I can't wait for this horrendously unfortunate and injury-plagued offseason to just be over.

Hopefully there will be no need for yet another back to step up, but best of luck to whichever guy may have to.

And thank goodness Mark Mangino poked Arist Wright hard enough in the chest to get himself fired or Angus Quigley wouldn't still be around, either.