Normally, the release of the depth chart for a football team is a moment anticipated by the fan base. Usually it gives an insight as to who can be expected to lead the team into their first game of the season. Players and fans alike get hyped when the final pieces of preparation fall into place. In short, usually the depth chart finally gives us some clarity.

Unfortunately, none of that is really the case for the Kansas Jayhawks.

David Beaty released the first official depth chart for the Jayhawks for this football season, but not a lot of questions were answered, especially at key offensive positions. I dare you to take a look at it and tell me that this is pretty much what you expected. Go ahead, I’ll wait:

So first, it goes without saying that Beaty’s manufactured QB controversy is still alive and well, given that despite releasing a depth chart, he still hasn’t given any indication which of his three QBs we can expect to see on Saturday (although I highly doubt that the inclusion of Carter Stanley is anything other than trying to make it seem like it’s a true open competition).

This really isn’t that surprising, but it is disappointing. Maybe I’m part of a vocal minority, but the fact Beaty hasn’t chosen between Ryan Willis and Montell Cozart means one of two things: either he really doesn’t know how to evaluate what he wants from the QB position, or he knows who he wants to name as the starter but is afraid of the backlash the choice will create. Either way, it isn’t a good look for the second year coach.

I’m mildly surprised that a starting RB hasn’t been named. While I haven’t seen anything that would indicate that Ke’aun Kinner has sealed up the position, I also haven’t really seen any strong arguments to give it someone else instead. And since backs are easy to rotate, the official starter isn’t as big of a deal as the QB.

Some other surprises (h/t Mike on some of these):

• Freshman Hakeem Adeniji was expected to earn the RT position, but the sophomore Clyde McCauley III seemed to come out of nowhere to earn that starting position for Saturday. Given that Adeniji has been impressing as recently as last Thursday, I’m not sure that the depth chart stays this way.
• Junior Jayson Rhodes is another notable absence. However, with 14 guys looking for 8 spots in the line rotation, I wouldn’t be surprised to see these guys shuffle in and out all season long, especially as we get into Big 12 play.
• Most of the starters on defense are exactly what you would expect, but there are some glaring omissions, especially given the news that had been coming out of camp. The freshman trio of Mike Lee, Kyle Mayberry and Ian Peterson had all been getting good reviews and appeared to be making enough of an impact to at least get onto the 2-deep.

So with the depth chart released, are you feeling any different about this team than you were earlier today? Are the questions still left open worrisome at all just 5 days before the opener?

Earlier this week, Jon Kirby over at JayhawkSlant picked up on a line put out by sportbet.com installing Kansas as a 29-point favorite over Rhode Island in their season-opener on September 3.

Maybe you think four touchdowns is too high. Maybe you’ll think differently by the time you’ve read this. We’ll get into Rhode Island more next week, but here are a few things to consider.

CBSSports.com recently ranked Bryant College as the best college football team in the state of Rhode Island. For your consideration, Bryant went 5-6 in 2011 in FCS’s Northeast Conference. Also consider that Bryant is 18-15 over the past 3 seasons.

Per the Providence Journal, the University of Rhode Island was picked to finish last in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) by the preseason media poll. The Rams did put two players on the preseason All-Conference team, RB/KR Harold Cooper and LB Adam Parker - the first time since 2011 that URI has had more than one preseason All-Conference selection. In addition, the Rams are only 14-60 all-time in CAA play, with four seasons of zero or one win. (Rhode Island joined the CAA as a football-only member in 2007.)

URI has had three winning seasons since 1985.

Last year against Syracuse, a team that would finish 4-8 in the ACC, Rhode Island came up with 64 yards of total offense, two first downs, and four turnovers in a 47-0 loss. They averaged seven inches per carry on 20 rushes. The defense allowed 312 rushing yards and 114 passing yards.

The Rams reportedly signed the best recruiting class in the CAA last February, but why let that scare you? As recently as 2015, the question was being asked as to whether or not URI should drop its football program.

The Rams went 1-10 in 2015, their lone victory a 20-0 defeat of Delaware, who would finish 2015 at 4-7. That followed a 1-11 campaign in 2014 and a 3-9 season in 2013, making the Rams 5-30 over the past three seasons.

Rhode Island is the Kansas of FCS.

Shoot, they may even be worse than the Kansas of FCS. After all, the Jayhawks fell by only three points to South Dakota State last fall, who finished 2015 ranked #14 in FCS. Meanwhile, Rhode Island fell by a 35-7 count to Albany, who finished exactly one game ahead of the Rams in the final CAA standings.

So I’ll ask again: Do you think four touchdowns is too high?

Ex-KU Jayhawk Ben Heeney is entering his second season and per the Raiders recent depth chart is already is a starter in the NFL.

The 23-year-old Ben Heeney hails from glorious Kansas University where he played football for his full four-year college career. Heeney came to Lawrence as a star at running back from Hutchinson High School, where he tallied a school-record 2,083 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns.  He also played safety, recording 143 tackles and four interceptions while doing so.

Heeney was an instant difference-maker at Kansas and quickly became a fan favorite. He may never be considered the most athletic guy on the field but his heart and motor gives him an advantage. His freshman year, he played in every game as a reserve LB. By his sophomore season he became the starter and started in all 12 games. The next year he would start in only 10 games (due to injuries) but still performed well enough to be named second team All-Big 12. Finally in his senior season he broke out in a big way, leading the team in tackles and being named to the first team All-Big 12.

The Jayhawks have had several recent successes from alumni-turned-pro bowlers Chris Harris Jr, Aqib Talib, and Darrell Stuckey. In 2015 Heeney was drafted in the fifth round by the Oakland Raiders, which could be the beginning of something big. Heeney played in 12 games during his rookie season and impressed with 21 combined tackles, two and a half sacks, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.

We are now entering the 2016 season and Heeney has turned his 5th-round label into a starting gig with one of the most talented up-and-coming teams in the NFL. Heeney is not just lucky either - you can tell he earned it when listening to the coaches. There is no doubt Heeney's motor is part of what endears him to the coaching staff. He may not have wowed scouts on paper but it appears none of that matters now as he has clearly fallen into the best situation possible.

Now that Heeney has the coaches believing in him, a starting job, and that high motor, it's safe to say the sky is the limit for the former Jayhawk and he could end up joning Harris, Talib, and Stuckey in the Pro Bowl sooner rather than later.

Following a difficult road trip against Oklahoma State, the West Virginia Mountaineers will return home to take on the Kansas Jayhawks. WVU has won four out of five all-time meetings between the two schools with the only Kansas victory coming in 2013 when the Jayhawks defeated the Mountaineers 31-19 in Lawrence.

In the 2015 matchup, the Mountaineers steamrolled the Jayhawks to the tune of 426 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns on their way to a 49-0 victory. Skyler Howard, Wendell Smallwood and Rushel Shell all rushed for over 100 yards as the WVU offensive line put on its best performance of the season.

Game #8: Kansas Jayhawks

Wikipedia

As you can tell by the schedule above, 2015 was a season to forget for the Jayhawks. Aside from a season-opening 41-38 loss to South Dakota St., an FCS team, the closest margin of defeat was a 23-17 loss to TCU that had a lot to do with Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson being hurt. Beaty has a tall task ahead of him in 2016 just to win a game or two.

Kansas Offense: Where Are The Points Going To Come From?

 

The Jayhawks’ offense only scored more than 20 points twice in 2015, and none after the second week of the season. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Willis is expected to be the starter in 2016 with redshirt junior Montell Cozart mixing in to add some athleticism.

Kansas’ top receiver in 2015, Tre Parmalee, graduated and the next closest guy returning is Steven Sims Jr. who recorded 30 catches for 349 yards. It’s unlikely that the Jayhawks will suddenly develop an explosive passing game which immediately puts the team at a disadvantage in the Big 12.

Top rusher Ke’aun Kinner does return, but he only racked up 566 yards on 134 carries in 2015. In addition, the offensive line has a number of question marks surrounding it heading into the season which likely means that the Jayhawks are headed for another porous year in 2016.

Kansas Defense: Worst In The Country

 

As bad as the Kansas offense was in 2015, the defense was even worse. In fact, it was the worst defensive unit in the country. The Jayhawks gave up a whopping 561 yards and 46 points per game in 2016 and allowed eight different opponents to score at least 40 points.

The Jayhawks’ strength, if you can call it that, on defense will be the linebackers as Marcquis Roberts and Joe Dineen both return to anchor the unit. Fish Smithson is also a very solid safety, but there are still so many holes on the Jayhawks’ defense.

Prediction: Mountaineers Win Handily

Even if WVU lets its guard down a little bit following the road trip to Stillwater, the team should have no problems beating Kansas by at least 25. The Jayhawks just can’t get any recruits to come to Lawrence because they can’t win and they can’t win because they don’t develop talent real well. It’s going to be a long time before Kansas even reaches a bowl game.

Kansas football is coming and here is your guide to get ready to watch our Jayhawks this season!  Let's get right into it:

Defensive Line

The Jayhawks don't have a dominant defensive line by any means, however in the coming years that could change. Led by a budding star in the form of 6-foot-4 241 pound sophomore defensive end Dorance Armstrong Jr., this defense has a solid piece upon which to build. Anthony Olobia will likely come in as the only senior starting on the line. The junior Jacky Dezir and sophomores Daniel Wise, D.J. Williams and Jason Nix fill out a surprisingly solid depth of defensive tackles. Don't forget about incoming JUCO players DeeIsaac Davis and Isi Holani, who will push for playing time this fall.  Also, coaches love the athleticism of incoming freshman DE Isaiah Bean, but he may redshirt this fall to put on some weight.  Senior Damani Mosby and sophomore Josh Ehambe hold down the rest of the defensive end's rotation.

Overall this group is solid, the key will be, how well will they develop? If Armstrong is looking at a possible future in the NFL, Beaty's group is going to really have to key in on getting him to where he needs to go. The sophomore finished with 3.5 sacks in his first season as a true freshman. Of course, what Kansas football fans should really love about this kid is that he chose the Jayhawks over the Missouri Tigers. This was one guy defensive coordinator Clint Bowen was thrilled about and in due time Armstrong could be looking at double digit sack totals.

Linebackers

The more depth-filled position on this team is linebacker. Kansas has the likes of former South Carolina senior transfer Marcquis Roberts and budding star junior, Joe Dineen Jr. manning the two starting linebacker spots. Dineen had four games last fall with double-digit tackle totals including his most impressive game, vs West Virginia, with 16 tackles. Meanwhile, Roberts has improved upon his production year-by-year even dating back to his days at South Carolina.

Osaze Ogbebor, the sophomore linebacker, is in for a starting job in the near future (most likely next season). Roberts and talented senior Courtney Arnick are leaving after this season so it should end up being Dineen Jr. and Ogbebor at linebacker next year.  But watch out for talented incoming freshman Maciah Long.  Long was a 3-star recruit with a long list of Power-5 offers who will no doubt look to make an impact as soon as possible.

Secondary

The immediate name that jumps off the page not only in the secondary but the whole KU defense is none other than senior safety Fish Smithson. He has been an absolute superstar for the Jayhawks and most likely has one of the better shots at making an NFL career out of his time in Lawrence.

Overall this part of the defense is littered with young talent that could really be a vital part of the Jayhawks' future. Players like the freshmen cornerbacks Mike Lee and Kyle Mayberry along with sophomore safety Tyrone Miller only make the future brighter. It will be difficult replacing seniors Brandon Stewart and Fish Smithson after this season, but Kansas is ready for the challenge and so far, David Beaty has done an excellent job of recruiting.

Projected Defensive 2-Deep Depth Chart:

DE: Dorance Armstrong Jr. (SO), Josh Ehambe (SO)

DT: Daniel Wise (R-SO), Deelsaac Davis (JR)

DT: D.J. Williams  (SO), Jacky Dezir (JR)

DE: Anthony Olobia (SR), Damani Mosby (SR)

LB: Marcquis Roberts (SR), Osaze Ogbebor (SO)

LB: Joe Dineen Jr. (JR), Courtney Arnick (SR)

NB: Tevin Shaw (SR), Chevy Graham (SR)

CB: Derrick Neal (JR), Marnez Ogletree (SR)

CB: Brandon Stewart (SR), Kyle Mayberry (FR) or Mike Lee (FR)

S: Fish Smithson (SR), Bazie Bates IV (SR)

S: Tyrone Miller Jr. (SO), Greg Allen (SR)

Two days, two transfers from Alabama. In football. This time it is offensive tackle Charles Baldwin. For a line desperately needing any type of warm body, the sight of a 5 star prospect who was rated as the #1JuCo recruit in the class of 2016 is a sight to behold indeed. Baldwin will sit this year and then have 2 more years of eligibility as a Jayhawk.

Originally from Connecticut, Baldwin had 10 offers coming out of Junior College in New York, choosing Alabama over notables such as Miami, Oklahoma, Michigan State, and Georgia.

Baldwin was dismissed from Bama in May for an unspecified violation of team rules. In March, Alabama head coach Nick Saban said that Baldwin was a candidate to get reps at right tackle and is a very good athlete with a lot of ability. Clearly he will be the favorite to start as a tackle next season for the Jayhawks.

KU's 2017 recruiting class just got a little weaker, but not because of a decommit.  Remember that four-star CB recruit we got two months ago?  Turns out he just couldn't wait to become a Jayhawk and has reclassified to the Class of 2016.

Michael Lee, the four-star and top-rated athlete in the state of Louisiana per Rivals, is on campus and listed on the official KU Football roster.  He chose the Jayhawks over an impressive list of offers that included Texas, Georgia, Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouruh, Miami FL, and several Pac-12 schools.  No doubt Lee came to campus early expecting to compete for a playing spot this year.  (I for one love the confidence.)

Likewise, Denzell Evans, the RB graduate transfer from Arkansas, is also in camp and listed on the official roster.  Evans was a three-star prospect coming out of high school, choosing Arkansas over Arizona State, Colorado, Kansas State, Michigan State, Minnesota, and others.

According to Benton Smith over at KUSports.com, neither Lee nor Evans has been officially cleared by the NCAA, but they are both expected to be eligible for the 2016 campaign.

Evans should slide right into the #2 RB spot behind Ke'aun Kinner, while Lee will compete with Brandon Stewart, Derrick Neal, Marnez Ogletree and fellow incoming freshman Kyle Mayberry (who, if you'll recall, was featured here on RCT as the top-rated CB in Oklahoma after signing day).  In case you were wondering, KU looks pretty set at Safety this fall with Fish Smithson, Bazie Bates, and Tevin Shaw and returning upperclassmen.

This is great news for a Kansas football program that has been short on bodies ever since Beaty took over.  Whether or not these guys can make significant contributions (especially when Big 12 play rolls around) remains to be seen, but I say it's a step in the right direction.

(3) Mike McCormack

Mike played offensive line for the Jayhawks from 1948-50.  While at Kansas, McCormack became first team All-Conference in his senior season.  He would be taken #34 overall in the 1951 NFL Draft, but played only one season before being drafted into the US Army.  After serving three years in Korea, he came back to the States to find out that he was a free agent because the team that draft him, the New York Yanks, had folded.

He immediately signed with Baltimore but was then traded to Cleveland, where he would spend an eight year career.  He is widely regarded as one of the best offensive linemen ever to play in the NFL.  After his playing career, he spent 17 years as a head coach in the NFL with various franschises: the Eagles, Colts, and Seahawks, as well as several stints as an assistant.

McCormack was instrumental in founding the Carolina Panthers, and served as their GM from their founding in 1993 until 1997.

Mike is in the Ring of Honor at KU's Memorial Stadium, has a statue at Carolina's stadium, and was called by legendary Browns owner Paul Brown "... the finest offensive tackle who ever played pro football."  He was the second Jayhawk to be enshrined in Pro Football's Hall of Fame, an honor he achieved in 1984.

(30) Gilbert Brown

Gilbert played at KU from 1989-92, choosing Kansas over Bo Schembechler and Michigan because he reportedly was looking for a quiet, small-town environment different from the one he was used to in Detroit.  He was part of the 1992 Aloha Bowl team under Glen Mason.  His stats in college don't really jump out at you, hence the low seeding, I would imagine due to his teammate at the time, Dana Stubblefield.  He started all but 2 games in his Kansas career.

Brown was taken 79th overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings, who cut him late in training camp due to his weight.  The Green Bay Packers picked him up the next day, but Gilbert would only play in 2 games that season while he worked on his weight.

After missing the 1994 and 1995 seasons with injuries (ACL, elbow), he finally played a complete season in 1996.  He would spend his entire career with Green Bay, and ended up second in Packers history in playoff games played behind Bret Favre.  He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2008.

Per multiple reports, including ESPN and the Dallas Morning News, Aqib Talib was wounded early Sunday morning in a fight outside a strip club.  After a customer pulled a gun, two people, one of whom was Talib, were wounded and taken to the hospital.

SBNation's Mile High Report is all over the incident as well.

Talib was hit in the lower right leg but his wound did not require surgery.  He was patched up in the ER and has already been released.

Talib keeps an offseason home in the Dallas metroplex.

The Broncos do not seem to believe that this injury will affect his ability to participate in offseason workouts.  The team is scheduled to visit the White House tomorrow, however, Talib will not be joining them.  In addition, the Broncos have a mandatory minicamp Tuesday.

This is not Talib's first experience with such an altercation.  Last year in Dallas, Talib and his brother were questioned by police after an aggravated assault at a nightclub.  His car was towed and examined for evidence, but no charges were ever filed.

Two years ago, there was a report that Talib had been arrested by Dallas police, but it turned out to be his brother instead.

Back in 2011, an aggravated assault charge was dismissed for lack of evidence after Talib had been indicted in Dallas for pistol-whipping his sister's boyfriend and firing shots at him.

Talib.  Bro.  Find a new offseason home!