2 April 2024
LAWRENCE (KSNT) – With every offseason comes a chance for athletes to make themselves stand out.
That’s the case for two of KU football’s redshirt-juniors, Dean Miller and Dylan Brooks. Both defensive ends are gearing up for their second year with the program, with Miller transferring in from College of the Canyons and Brooks coming from Auburn.
Miller and Brooks are looking to fill holes in KU’s pass rush left by big names like Austin Booker, last year’s Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, who declared for the NFL draft.
“With where we’re at currently, Dean Miller and Dylan Brooks are two of the guys we’re really going to be counting on,” Leipold said. “Those guys give us a lot of length and the things that we’re looking for, and it’s going to be important for them to take the next steps.”
Defensive ends/special teams coordinator Taiwo Onatolu has also noticed both Jayhawks getting better this spring, even away from the field.
“He’s been a really athletic guy that can run, plays with a motor, really physical, but he was just 200 pounds,” Onatolu said of Miller. “Now, he’s going on his second year in the program, he’s put on a lot of weight. He was about 227 [pounds] this morning, he’s eating, he’s putting it all together. And he’s going to be a guy that’s really going to help us.”
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Onatolu says the goal for players like Miller in order to be explosive is to land somewhere near 240 pounds. Miller added he’s been working with strength and conditioning coach Matt Gildersleeve on a nutrition plan, eating multiple big meals throughout the day.
As for on the field, Miller says he’s trying to maximize every opportunity he gets, regardless of when and where it is.
“I’ve been working closely with Dylan Brooks,” Miller said. “It’s been good playing on the opposite side of him, just feeding off each other, just making sure we’re on the same page out there making plays.”
Miller appeared in all 13 games for KU in 2023, making three solo tackles. Brooks appeared in four games for Kansas in 2023, including the bowl game win against UNLV.
“Dylan started in the bowl game for us, that was his first start, he did a good job, he showed some flashes and I think he gained some confidence,” Onatolu said of Brooks. “He came in last summer, fall camp, everything was new to him, the season was new to him, and now the playbook is really starting come together. He’s an athlete, an athletic, twitchy kid.’
KU concludes its spring season with the spring showcase on April 12 at 7 p.m. at Rock Chalk Park.