KU football hires former Rice aide Michael Slater as defensive line coach

Kansas football coach David Beaty filled his fourth offseason vacancy Saturday in announcing Michael Slater as the team's new defensive line coach.

Slater spent the last four seasons as D-line coach at Rice.

“Michael is a great coach and a great man,” Beaty said. “He has consistently taken undersized and under-recruited players and developed them into top players for their team and in their conference.”

Slater replaces Calvin Thibodeaux, who accepted the defensive line position with his alma mater, Oklahoma, last week.

Beaty, who still has an opening for a running backs coach, said last week that he hoped to have that position filled by Monday.

This story was originally published February 28, 2016 at 8:06 PM with the headline "KU football hires former Rice aide Michael Slater as defensive line coach."