KU Football Digs Deep: Hawkinson, Jayhawks Could Be Diamonds

The KU faithful probably know who Jake Laptad, Justin Springer, Jeremiah Hatch and Tim Biere are, but I doubt the rest of the country has heard of these four guys.

These young men all have a little college football experience under their belt, and should play increasingly important roles in the coming season. It's not a prediction so much as an expectation.

I've always found it fun to look at the middle portion of the depth chart and try to predict which unheralded young men might turn into pleasant surprises. 

Last season I liked sophomores Jonathon Wilson and Phillip Strozier. Neither wound up notching amazing stats, but both were previously unheralded and became reliable contributors.

With that in mind, here are a few guys I think fans should look out for throughout the 2009 season.

Darius Parish, DT

Parish could take some big steps this year, literally.  The 6'4", 340-pound defensive lineman will have an opportunity this year to become a cog in our front line. You may already know his name, and now the sophomore has a year of experience under his belt. 

Thanks to increased reliance on d-lines to play well in the popular nickel scheme, you won't soon forget who he is either.

Jake Schermer, LB

Schermer is the only upcoming senior I have on this list because his hard work is about to pay off.  The 6'2", 220-pound linebacker isn't the biggest or the fastest, but he has been a staple in the middle of the depth chart since he arrived at KU.  

In 2009, the wide-open linebacker competition should allow him to finally compete for a starting position. He, Angus Quigley and several talented recruits should battle for a position next to Justin Springer and classmate Arist Wright.

The No. 4 WR

The fourth receiver position is one that will be filled by... I have no idea who, to be perfectly honest. 

I put this here because, in our system, whoever wins the job is likely to have a pass or two thrown his way. 

Like Jonathon Wilson (and then Daymond Patterson) last year, one or two lucky Mangino favorites will receive the opportunity to have an immediate impact. 

My personal favorite is junior Rod Harris, but look out for senior Raimond Pendleton, sophomore DB turned receiver Isaiah Barfield, and recruits DJ Beshears and Bradley McDougald.

Kale Pick, QB

Is it fair to put Kale Pick here? He should relieve star receiver Kerry Meier of his No. 2 duties, but the pressure is all on Pick to grasp the offense quickly.  If he proves himself to be reliable, Meier will be able to practice solely at wide receiver.

Even assuming that Todd Reesing remains as durable and resilient as ever, Mangino needs to find out if he's got a future QB on his hands. The redshirt freshman should compile some stats in mop-up time, and I predict they'll be good ones.

Tanner Hawkinson, LT

Finally, Hawkinson is far-and-away my favorite newcomer, and is a well-known former three-star tight end and probably shouldn't even be on this list. However, because he has undergone a position change and will only be a red-shirt freshman this year, I'll indulge a bit here. 

Hawkinson won't be great immediately, but the 6'6", 250-pound left tackle has the highest ceiling of any lineman at KU since Anthony Collins first arrived. When he combines his already refined footwork with a little extra muscle and experience, this kid could be great.

If you're reading this, maybe you've heard of most of these guys already, and maybe you know as much about them as I do. I just have a feeling that we will get to hear their names a lot more this fall.