By Wendell Barnhouse
Big12Sports.com Correspondent

2014 record: 3-9 overall, 1-8 in Big 12.

Returning starters: 2 on offense, 3 on defense.

Top players returning: Senior QB Michael Cummings, junior QB Montell Cozart, RB De'Andre Mann, RB Taylor Cox, senior DE Ben Goodman, senior DE T.J. Semke, senior LB Jake Love, junior LB Courtney Arnick, junior LB Schyler Miles.

Key players to replace: LB Ben Heeney, CB JaCorey Shepherd, WR Nick Harwell, TE Jimmay Mundine, WR Nigel King, RB Brandon Bourbon, DB Cassius Sendius, DB Dexter McDonald.

Spring review
David Beaty had two previous stints at Kansas, one as an assistant for Mark Mangino during the school's most recent run of success and another as co-offensive coordinator under Turner Gill. Beaty knows the challenges he is undertaking as the Jayhawks' fourth new head coach in the last seven years.

KU has won 12 games over the last five seasons and with just five starters returning, Beaty and his staff are basically starting over.

"I don't think we've gotten everything that we hoped to, but I think we got a lot of the boxes checked," Beaty said after the spring game. "I think our biggest challenge overall, and it really has to do with confidence, is just time, wanting to have more time."

After the spring game, Beaty had to deal with the "crisis management" that all coaches face. First, senior quarterback Michael Cummings, despite wearing a non-contact jersey, suffered a knee injury that will require surgery. Second, Beaty announced that running back Corey Avery and receiver Rodriguez Coleman – the most-experienced players at their positions - were suspended indefinitely.

For a coach who has been on the job for less than six months, the 15 days of spring practice provided precious little time based on the amount of work on the "to do" list.

"I don't know that we're ever happy enough with everything, but the objective was very simple," he said. "We wanted to be able to get to know our guys. We wanted to be able to evaluate them in what we do, so we knew where they fit and kind of get an idea of where we're at."

Quick slants
With Cummings sidelined for an uncertain length of time, it appears that junior quarterback Montell Cozart will start the season opener for the second consecutive season. Cummings replaced Cozart after five games last season. Junior T.J. Millweard along with freshmen Ryan Willis and Carter Stanley also will compete for the job.

For Beaty's up-tempo, spread offense to be successful, Kansas will need play makers. The Jayhawks might lean on two tight ends to help spark the passing game. Sophomore Ben Johnson and junior Kent Taylor both had solid springs and Taylor had an 85-yard touchdown reception in the spring game.

This summer, about 40 new players including walk ons will arrive. Kansas listed 93 players on the spring roster but only about 50 of those were scholarship players. Previous coach Charlie Weis relied on transfers – from junior colleges and four-year schools – to provide immediate help but those personnel decisions left the roster imbalanced. There are only 13 high school recruits on the roster from the last two seasons.

Coach David Beaty on …
The challenge of building a winning program:
"We're not by any means saying that this is going to happen overnight. We have (begun) from the bottom and we're building a strong foundation and we're going to take the right steps and not skip steps on the way to getting there. We've got a big job right in front of us."

Quarterback play/production:
"The thing that we're looking for in our quarterback is very simple. We want a guy that can manage the game, that can take care of the football, that can move our team, a can do it effectively."

Former being on the KU staff under former coach Mark Magino:
"(He) installed an environment that works here. He created a blueprint that, quite honestly, we are borrowing a lot from that, because we've seen how it worked here before, and I think that might be something that gives us an advantage to get it back there at some point."

2015 Schedule

Sept. 5	South Dakota State
Sept. 12	Memphis
Sept. 26	at Rutgers
Oct. 3	at Iowa State*
Oct. 10	Baylor*
Oct. 17	Texas Tech*
Oct. 24	at Oklahoma State*
Oct. 31	vs. Oklahoma*
Nov. 7	at Texas*
Nov. 14	at TCU*
Nov. 21	vs. West Virginia*
Nov. 28	vs. Kansas State*

* - Conference game.