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Kansas football assistant coach Taiwo Onatolu shares his spring update
Check out what Kansas football defensive ends coach/special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu had to say Thursday as the Jayhawks’ spring continued.
LAWRENCE — Taiwo Onatolu is back this year as Kansas football’s defensive ends coach/special teams coordinator, but when it comes to who will be featured on those special teams units this fall, there will be a lot of new faces.
Damon Greaves, the Jayhawks’ punter in 2024, has since transferred to Colorado. Tabor Allen, who head coach Lance Leipold and company relied upon for field goals, extra points and kickoffs, is also someone they have to replace. Finding the right athletes to return kickoffs and punts is a focus, too, considering who else departed from last season’s squad.
Spring ball wrapped up in April for Kansas, but here are some takeaways from what Onatolu had to say about the Jayhawks’ special teams units as those practices unfolded.
How does Taiwo Onatolu feel about having a new group?
Onatolu remarked that it has been fun to get to know their newcomers in a short period of time, praising how well they’ve adapted. There’s always going to be a guessing game to a certain extent before players arrive on campus, but he’s found them to be mature additions. He referred to redshirt senior punter Finn Lappin (McNeese State) as someone who doesn’t get flustered, and redshirt senior kicker Laith Marjan (South Alabama) as a confident talent who’s done well, too.
Identifying those players as transfer targets comes down to connections. That includes coaches they might know. Kyle Deween, a special teams analyst at KU, is someone who was at East Carolina while Marjan was there — prior to…
Source link : https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2025/05/03/kansas-football-special-teams-taiwo-onatolu-lance-leipold-punter-finn-lappin-kicker-laith-marjan/82990767007/
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Publish date : 2025-05-03 19:14:00
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