๐Ÿˆ KU Football Position Breakdown | Safeties

LAWRENCE, Kansas โ€“ As the Kansas football team continues to prepare for the 2020 season opener against Coastal Carolina Sept. 12 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, KUAthletics.com will provide position breakdown coverage throughout the preseason. The first group to be covered is the safeties group, which features eight returners with one newcomer coached by Jordan Peterson.


"It is about next guy up. The guys who are experienced have a second year in the system and they havenโ€™t had to do it live when balls are flying. It is about feeling comfortable and taking charge of the defense. The guys are growing, we are not where we need to be yet by any stretch of the imagination but we are making tremendous strides. "

Jordan Peterson | Assistant Coach โ€“ Safeties

For the full interview, watch Camping with the Jayhawks | Episode 2.

Nate Betts | 6-1 | 186 lbs | R-Senior | Kerens, Texas
Betts, a redshirt-senior from Kerens, Texas, is a two-year member of the Kansas football team and redshirted his first season with the Jayhawks in 2018. Betts appeared in four games during the 2019 campaign, recording a career-high two tackles against West Virginia and Boston College.

Nick Caudle | 6-0 | 194 lbs | Junior | Atchison, Kansas
Caudle, a junior from Atchison, Kansas, appeared in 11 games last season, recording his first-career tackle for the Jayhawks against Kansas State.

Julian Chandler | 6-0 | 182 lbs | Senior | Houston, Texas
Chandler, a senior from Houston, Texas, has been a four-year member for the Jayhawks. He made his season-debut last season against the nationally ranked Oklahoma Sooners, and saw action in four games on special teams during the 2018 season.

Nick Channel | 6-0 | 220 lbs | Sophomore | Wichita, Kansas
Channel, a sophomore from Wichita, Kansas, is a two-year member of the Kansas football team, redshirting during the 2018 season.

Davon Ferguson | 5-10 | 197 lbs | Junior | Baltimore, Maryland
Ferguson, a junior from Baltimore, Maryland, is the Jayhawksโ€™ top returner in tackles from last season, recording 57 total tackles (42 solo). He also recorded three tackles for a loss with a team-high 28 yards and finished the 2019 season with a start in each of the last five games.

Gabe Garber | 5-11 | 190 lbs | Freshman | Sabetha, Kansas
Garber, a freshman from Sabetha, Kansas, enters his first season with the Jayhawks as a 10-time letterwinner at Sabetha High School. Garber helped lead his team to Kansas football state championships in 2017 and 2018, while also helping bring home the state baseball title in 2018 and 2019.

Ryan Malbrough | 6-1 | 196 lbs | Sophomore | Cecilia, Louisiana
Malbrough, a sophomore from Cecilia, Louisiana, appeared in three games last season and recorded the first tackle of his KU career at TCU.

Tyler Stottle | 6-0 | 180 lbs | R-Freshman | Prairie Village, Kansas
Stottle, a redshirt-freshman from Prairie Village, Kansas, redshirted his first season with the Jayhawks in 2019.

Ricky Thomas | 5-10 | 190 lbs | Senior | New Orleans, Louisiana
Thomas, a senior from New Orleans, Louisiana, played in all 12 games last season, finishing with 20 total tackles (16 solo). Thomas was one of five Jayhawks to record an interception during the 2019 season, netting the pick against Baylor.