Why the success of KU football’s offense could come down to four letters: ‘WWDD’
Kansas quarterback Miles Kendrick says the wrist bands haven’t been produced yet ... though perhaps they could be a possibility in the future.
Over summer Zoom calls with Brent Dearmon — four days a week, an hour each — Kendrick said Dearmon, the second-year offensive coordinator rewound the team’s practice film often, working hard to get his guys to see the game how he does.
“He says that he was gonna make us, ‘What would Dearmon do?’ bracelets,” Kendrick said with a laugh. “That’s kind of our mindset. We want to think and have the same IQ of the game as coach Dearmon.”
There’s a better chance of that happening in the 2020 season.
Dearmon, who was promoted to KU’s offensive coordinator halfway through last year, has a luxury now he didn’t a season ago. In 2019, he had to do his best to work his concepts and ideas into the framework that KU was already running.
Now, in the past few months, he’s been able to install an offense all his own, along with the football vocabulary he’s used in the past.
This change has taken time — and focus. KU quarterback Thomas MacVittie estimated that, through those Zoom calls, the QBs had learned the offense three times over.
“We really put in work in the summer,” MacVittie said, “and it was fun.”
Part of that was related to Dearmon’s coaching style.
The virtual meetings weren’t all just about X’s and O’s. They also were about building rapport, with Kendrick saying the chats on any given day could start with Dearmon telling a short story, giving a motivational speech or having devotional time.
“Just pouring into us as individuals, before we get going on football,” Kendrick said. “And then football time, he likes to talk about tempo, toughness. We really believe that, and he kind of portrayed in the meetings.”
Kendrick said the film study was fast-paced while alternating between video clips and offensive installation, with the quarterbacks learning better what to expect from their position coach as well.
“Everybody knows what Dearmon’s about. He brings the same passion and energy every single day,” MacVittie said. “The one thing he made clear is he’s not going to lie to you. He’s not going to tell you something you want to hear.”
The QB battle remains unsettled. It’s most likely that either the 5-10 junior Kendrick or 6-5 senior MacVittie will be the starter for Sept. 12’s opener against Coastal Carolina, though there also remains an outside chance that true freshman Jalon Daniels could factor in as well.
KU coach Les Miles says, in general, he doesn’t like naming a starting quarterback until closer to the season. He remains optimistic about his options, though, based on his belief in Dearmon.
Miles also promised again Thursday to be hands-off with the offense. It’s a pledge he’s made before in the past and failed with, with his constant offensive tinkering serving as one criticism ahead of his firing at LSU.
The second-year coach also struggled to let go of certain ineffective run playcalls while overseeing KU’s offensive coordinators last season.
“I’ve done this: I’ve said, ‘Hey, we got a great coordinator, let’s let him coordinate,’” Miles said. “He’s got a full-fledged offense there, and in my opinion, we’ll let him have it.”
If that comes to be, it might be a top source for KU football enthusiasm as it enters 2020.
The Jayhawks will now be operating with a fully formed Dearmon offense.
One that’ll work most effectively, though, if the QBs start thinking like their mentor.
“Obviously, he’s been coaching a long time,” Kendrick said. “But we just want to portray his coaching style and his teachings on the field.”
COVID update
Miles gave a brief COVID-19 update during his Thursday media session, saying KU football — since bringing back players to campus in the summer — had registered 40 total positives among the more than 600 tests that had been distributed to 117 players and staff members. Miles said no players currently were being quarantined for coronavirus symptoms.
KU football previously suspended voluntary workouts on July 3 after 12 players tested positive. The Jayhawks re-opened workouts on July 22 after four new players tested positive following a new round of testing.
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 5:29 PM.
