 There’s a permanent stamp on a leg of Kansas University defensive end Ben Goodman that forever will remind him of the jersey number he wore for the first four years of his college football career.

But it’s a place in his heart that inspired Goodman to ditch No. 93 — and deal with the tattoo — before his senior season and move to No. 10, a number previously worn by his father, Ben Goodman Sr., and more commonly associated with quarterbacks.

“That’s my high school number,” Goodman said at Big 12 Media Days this week. “And I feel like I haven’t done anything spectacular in 93, so I’m expecting big things in 10 this year.”

Goodman, who came to KU as a three-star Rivals.com prospect with more than two dozen scholarship offers out of high school, hopes and believes the new number will inspire him to post his best season yet.

He realizes that a jersey is just a jersey and that the big, bold number on it is irrelevant if the player wearing it cannot deliver. But a series of events that took place from the end of last season to the beginning of this one has Goodman believing big things are in store for KU’s new No. 10.

“It’s a new coaching staff and a new start, so it’s a new me,” Goodman said. “It’s my last season. It’s my last go-around, so I’m just doing all the extra little things. I watched (Ben) Heeney, JaCorey (Shepherd) and Dex (McDonald) during their last season (in 2014), and when they didn’t have classes, they were in the weight room, they were working out, they were in the sand pit.”

That’s where Goodman spent a lot of his time during the spring and summer months. The work he put in away from the field and the locker room inspired first-year KU coach David Beaty to heap heavy praise on one of the few truly experienced Jayhawks on his initial roster.

“Ben Goodman’s by far the best leader we have on our football team,” Beaty said.

It has not always been that way for the Beaumont, Texas, native. In fact, Goodman spent most of the past four years in the shadows of teammates who had better leadership skills, a more prominent role on the team and better numbers.

He never minded and, as the consummate role player, always did whatever was asked, including playing new positions and in spots that weren’t always comfortable.

This year, however, Goodman is back at his natural position, where he’ll be able to hunt quarterbacks instead of hold gaps. That source of comfort, combined with the fact that 2015 represents his final chance to leave his stamp on Kansas football, has motivated Goodman to previously unreached levels.

“As a junior, you're hungry,” he said. “But it really doesn't click until you know it's your last season. I just really want to succeed so I'm putting in all the work I can so I don't leave with any doubts or what ifs or I wish I could'ves.”

Goodman's teammates have seen first-hand how this new mindset has turned Goodman into a different player. But for those who can't get behind the gates, Twitter offers a decent opportunity to see where Goodman's head is.

The time is now.

Everything is falling into place.

They sleeping.

All are recurring phrases that Goodman — @B_Good_Man — has posted to Twitter page during the past several months.

They're words on a screen for now, but Goodman is banking on bringing them to life this fall, with a new mindset, new position and new number.

“I did some big things in high school in 10,” he said before referring to the number as “super sacred.” “And this year, it's the same exact defense I ran in high school. So I feel like big things are gonna happen in Lawrence for No. 10.”