When Justice Finkley arrived at Kansas after transferring from Texas, his goal was to go 1-0 in all aspects. Finkley wanted to rack up wins nutritionally, on the field, in the weight room, and as a leader. However, he didn’t expect to hear the news after practice on Monday that the coaches had named him one of the Jayhawks’ captains.
Finkley will serve as one of Kansas’ captains on a weekly basis alongside Jalon Daniels and Bryce Foster, and Lance Leipold said the fourth spot will rotate throughout the year.The defensive end made leaps and bounds in his leadership since his arrival, seeing his work paid off with the captain nod.
“It means a lot, just knowing that my teammates kind of hold me in that light and see me that way,” Finkley said. “Coming in here in January, I thought I would never be able to display the actual, you know, qualities of a leader. But in a previous interview, I said that I was able to, you know, focus on being more of a vocal leader instead of, like, being an example. So, you know, just seeing my progress and making those leaps and bounds, like I said, of being a leader, it paid off.”
The growth as a vocal leader started with Finkley being a great teammate. He said Matt Gildersleeve preaches that, and Finkley has been able to uplift and bring up his teammates. His teammates gave him “a lot of rubs on the head” after the announcement.
“That’s just ultimately what starts with how to be a great leader,” Finkley said. “That’s encouraging guys, like I said, seeing something and saying something. You know, ‘your foot’s not behind the white, you know, get behind the white.’ Just bringing, uplifting and bringing those young guys up and, you know, the rest of the team.”
Coaches and players have noticed Finkley’s leadership and work ethic
Justice Finkley’s captainship seemed to only surprise himself, with coaches and players raving about his leadership and work ethic. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald called him a special and unbelievable person.
“Justice is just really special. Just his work ethic, just the type of person he is, it’s just unbelievable,” McDonald said. “So it’s not hard for me to really believe that he became a captain here this quickly just for who he is. People gravitate towards him, and as a result, the guys voted for him, which is an extremely great honor that he has. I’m so proud of him.”
On the other side of the ball, Daniels noticed Finkley’s leadership and work ethic. The Jayhawks’ quarterback and fellow captain said Finkley epitomizes that 1-0 mentality that he strove to be when he arrived at Kansas.
“I think he comes in every single day with his head down, ready to work. And I think the defense levitates to that. “I feel like he has a great voice. You know, he’s somebody who’s, you know, when he’s saying something, everybody’s listening. So to be able to see him be voted as a captain, it means a lot.”
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