LAWRENCE (KSNT) - A new era is underway for KU football's defense ahead of the 2025 season. The Jayhawks promoted co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach DK McDonald to defensive coordinator back in December following the retirement of Brian Borland, who had been on Lance Leipold's staff for nearly two decades. McDonald is no stranger to coaching, being a 22-year veteran himself, but he's excited for the new challenges the coordinator position presents. He joined K-Nation's Caroline Soro in a one-on-one interview. "Really just the part on game day, getting to call it will be the different thing," McDonald said. "A lot of things that I've done before with the organization, getting the game plan together, making sure recruiting is going the right way, just making sure all those things are going the right way." McDonald spent three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before coming to KU ahead of the 2024 season. In his first year with the Jayhawks, he mentored defensive backs like Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson, who earned first team All-Big 12 honors. Five of KU's seven losses in 2024, however, happened despite having a lead in the fourth quarter. McDonald shared his vision for the defense in 2025 and how he plans to approach situational football. "We're excited to tackle all the things we felt like we struggled with last year, the two-minute, end-of-game, end-of half-situation is always one of them," McDonald said. "Those are all the things that we're going to try to address to make sure we're taking a step forward and being better there, because we have to be." The full interview with McDonald aired in Sunday's episode of K-Nation, and can be watched above. K-Nation airs every Sunday night right after 27 News at 10 on KSNT.