DeShawn Hanika represents Kansas football at Big 12 media days
Check out some of what Kansas football tight end DeShawn Hanika had to say Wednesday during Big 12 Conference media days while representing KU.
FRISCO, Texas — DeShawn Hanika didn’t follow college football media days closely growing up.
Hanika, a football fan himself, would just watch clips of the coverage of the sport if he was home and it was on TV. With family, he’d tune in to see what was being said about the schools they were all interested in. But that’s about as far as that interest went.
Fast forward to last week, though, and Hanika is at Big 12 Conference media days in Frisco, Texas, explaining what it means to him to be there representing Kansas football. The redshirt senior tight end, who filled in after redshirt senior offensive lineman Bryce Foster couldn’t make the trip due to injury, is explaining that when coach Lance Leipold called about his interest in going, “You don’t tell the boss man no.” And that excitement Hanika is expressing, about being on a stage he never thought he’d be on while representing KU, goes deeper than just the jersey he’ll wear this fall.
“Topeka holds a very special place in my heart. I’m a 785 baby,” said Hanika, a native of Topeka, Kansas. “(Kansas State’s) Desmond Purnell, he was here. That’s like a little brother to me. I’ve known him since he was a little guy. We played together. So, having two guys from Topeka representing the two universities in our great state is unbelievable.”
Hanika, listed at 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, actually has yet to play in a game for Kansas because an injury kept him out of the 2024 season. Prior to that, he played for Iowa State. So, he felt the ability…
Source link : https://www.cjonline.com/story/sports/college/hawk-zone/2025/07/15/deshawn-hanika-talks-kansas-football-topeka-at-big-12-conference-media-days-coach-lance-leipold-2025/84500536007/
Author :
Publish date : 2025-07-15 08:01:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
