KU football co-DC/CBs coach DK McDonald shares his thoughts on fall camp
Check out what DK McDonald, co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach for the Kansas football team, had to say at the Jayhawks’ fall camp practice on Sunday.
LAWRENCE – As the Kansas football team opened fall training camp this year, head coach Lance Leipold thought back to his first impressions of Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson.
Bryant and Dotson, now seniors, were in the early stages of their time at KU when Leipold’s 2021 team arrived in Lawrence to begin rebuilding. When the Jayhawks pulled off an upset in that first season at Texas, Leipold said, they did so with that cornerback duo on the field despite neither weighing more than 170 pounds. Defensive coordinator Brian Borland recalled that Bryant and Dotson tried to play at around 160 pounds during fall camp that year, so it was difficult to gauge their potential at first.
But fast forward to 2024, and so much has changed for Bryant and Dotson. Not only have they grown as players, but they’ve also committed to the physical development process necessary to put themselves in the best position possible – Bryant is 6’1″ and 175 pounds, Dotson is 6’1″ and 190 pounds. Both are members of the preseason All-Big 12 Conference team voted by the media, and the honor only heightened Bryant’s sentiment.
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“We know we’re one of the best duos in the country, so that’s not up for debate for anybody,” Bryant said during fall camp. “If you don’t like it, we already know. But somehow — it just motivates us, really, really, because everybody kind of looked down on KU. But yeah, man, that’s just motivation, but we don’t worry about it too much, we don’t worry about it too much. So we just keep going.”
Bryant added that he and Dotson constantly text each other saying they have to keep working and not let awards affect them. That’s an especially important mindset for Bryant, who was on several national award waiting lists this preseason, most recently the Jim Thorpe Award, which Bryant could win if he proves to be the best defensive back in college based on his performance, athletic ability and character.
Both Bryant and Dotson returned to Kansas after leading the team with four interceptions last season, which ranked fourth among all players in the Big 12 last season when the Jayhawks won the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. And now they’ll also be coached by co-defensive coordinator/cornerbacks coach DK McDonald, a newcomer to the coaching staff who was most recently an assistant in Philadelphia in the NFL.
Leipold pointed out that McDonald is not giving either Bryant or Dotson much leeway and will continue to put pressure on them. Both have ambitions to play professionally and have yet to reach new levels in their respective games. It won’t matter if Bryant is a louder personality and Dotson is a quieter one, as Dotson explained during Big 12 media days in Las Vegas, as long as they can continue to prove themselves as a valuable presence on the court.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever had guys out there that I just had more confidence in,” Borland said. “No matter what we call, those guys are going to cover whoever they’re going against — no matter who they’re going against, they’re going to cover them. So — or at least I feel like they can, and it’s a great comfort to know you’ve got some guys like that.”
Dotson has talked about how important it is for him and Bryant to guide the younger players in their position group. Bryant has done the same because this is the last year for both of them at Kansas. It’s something that will help the Jayhawks best position themselves for the future and allow them to better adjust in the present if one of those younger cornerbacks needs to step in.
When it comes to setting these two up for their own futures, however, McDonald has an idea of what they need to do to capitalize on their opportunity in the NFL. That means improving certain habits off the field, like studying the game better so they can be more proactive. That proactive foresight will allow them to slow down the game and make more plays.
“They’ll both admit that last year, even with all of their big plays, they left some plays on the field,” McDonald said during fall camp. “So if they can just get a little bit better at anticipation, they’ll make a lot more plays, which will make us better and ultimately it will make them better.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas athletics for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the 2022 National Sports Media Association Sportswriter of the Year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
