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In the latest Kansas football depth chart released this week, head coach Lance Leipold made a notable adjustment to his offensive line rotation. Amir Herring has been promoted to the top spot at right guard, while Tavake Tuikolovatu, a second-year transfer from UCLA, has been relegated to a backup role.
For the first time in his Kansas tenure, Herring is listed as the starting right guard as the Jayhawks gear up for their second conference game against Utah this weekend. Tuikolovatu, who began the season as the starter at that position, has apparently lost his hold on the job.
Herring has been a player the coaching staff has praised extensively since the offseason, with expectations that he would emerge as a leader in the trenches. He started the year at left guard with DeAndre Harper as his backup, while Texas transfer Connor Stroh was listed behind Tuikolovatu on the right side.
However, that alignment quickly shifted. By the third game, Stroh had moved behind Herring at left guard, and the two began splitting snaps. Following the bye week, Stroh appeared to take over the position, earning the starting nod over Herring on the depth chart.
Prior to Kansas' recent dominant victory over Middle Tennessee State, Herring had logged the sixth-most snaps among offensive linemen with 107. In that win over MTSU, he shared time with Tuikolovatu and played 77% of the offense's snaps, a team-high mark. When starting center Kasen Carpenter went down with an injury last week, Herring also got a chance to serve as the snapper, performing well in the second half. Nevertheless, guard remains his primary position.
It is widely known that position coach Daryl Agpalsa prefers to shuffle his linemen and frequently employs six offensive linemen in running formations. Tuikolovatu's drop on the depth chart simply means he will be used more as a rotational piece rather than being completely sidelined.
Kansas will need to get creative with its offensive line rotations when it travels to Salt Lake City to face the No. 12-ranked Utes. This could be the most challenging matchup of the entire season for Leipold and his staff, making it a pivotal outing for the front five.
For more coverage of Kansas basketball and football, visit the KCSN official website and follow them on Facebook, X, and Instagram. The author, Josh, is a lifelong Kansas fan who recently graduated from The College of New Jersey with a major in Communications and a minor in Journalism. He has published over 1,500 articles on KU athletics across Kansas on SI and FanSided's Through the Phog, with additional work at Indiana on SI, Notre Dame on SI, and Pro Football Network. Josh aims to provide a fan's perspective in his writing for the school he has loved since childhood.
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