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The Kansas Jayhawks are coming off their best season since 2007, going 9-4 overall with a 5-4
Big 12 Conference record. After being the doormat of the college football world for over a decade, the
Jayhawks have entered a “new era.”
They are being widely talked about as contenders for the Big 12 title and a College Football Playoff berth. Head coach Lance Leipold and athletic director Travis Goff have set Kansas up for success this season and likely for the long term. Multiple sweeping changes have been made to positively impact the program.
The Jayhawks return a large portion of their 2023 roster. They acquired players through the Transfer Portal and have their best freshmen class ever coming in. If ever there was a time to strike for Kansas, then the time would be now. How many chances do they have at capitalizing on their newfound strengths?
Kansas Jayhawks Offense
The Kansas offense has been a main catalyst for its recent success. The unit has placed among Top 25 offenses in 2022 and 2023, averaging 446.1 yards per game last season. This season, it looks like they will continue to roll. They return all their skill position players and added Transfer Portal players along the offensive line. It still seems that Kansas has underrated weapons.
Their backfield is arguably the best in the country. Kansas finished No. 8 nationally in total rushing offense last season. The two-headed beast of Devin Neal and Daniel Hishaw Jr. will be back this season. Neal was a snub for ESPN’s Top 100 Players list. A senior, Neal has comparable numbers to 2023 Doak Walker Award winner Ollie Gordon II with less numbers. Neal had 203 carries for 1,280 yards (6.3 yards/carry) to go along with 217 yards receiving and 17 total touchdowns. He is set for his biggest season yet, which should help him climb NFL Draft boards.
Don’t count out Hishaw, though, as a major contributor as well. He had 121 carries for 626 yards (6.2
yards/carry) and 8 touchdowns in 2023. Put him with veteran Sevion Morrison and freshman standout
Harry Stewart III and you have a stacked running back room.
The running backs aren’t the only ones you have to worry about rushing. Kansas,
even after the departure of Andy Kotelnicki, will have an extremely versatile offense.
“I think it’s only too much creativity if your players can’t execute…they’re typically not going to have
problems with those plays. They enjoy them so much that it’s not going to be too hard,” new offensive
coordinator Jeff Grimes said to KSNT’s Glenn Kinley.
Grimes will work with co-offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski, who has experience in the passing
game. The Jayhawks are set for another year of crazy plays and tricks, something that has become
synonymous with Kansas football.
At the center of it all is senior quarterback Jalon Daniels, whose dual-threat capabilities have drawn
comparisons to Lamar Jackson in the past. Daniels’ stats aren’t eye-popping ones. He has 4,297 yards passing, 602 yards rushing and 44 total touchdowns throughout his four-year career to this point.
This is mainly due to his issues staying healthy. In his playing time, Daniels has shown why he's highly touted and a Heisman Trophy dark horse this season. Daniels has been nominated for the Maxwell Award,
Davey O’Brien Trophy and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Should he stay healthy for this season, the Jayhawks will have a very strong season. If not, then the Jayhawks should still have decent quarterback play. Solid sophomore Cole Ballard and freshman quarterback Isaiah Marshall, a former Mr. Football in Michigan, are backups.
Protecting Daniels this season will be a must. Jason Bean was a godsend to this Jayhawk program as an experienced, versatile player,. But he's gone now. The Jayhawks have a projected offensive line with possibly three different transfers. However, they have a strong track record.
Projected starting interior lineman Bryce Foster was the starting center for the Texas A&M Aggies. He was the top center in the 2024 Transfer Portal. Projected backups/rotational pieces include Michigan Wolverines transfer Amir Herring, Iowa State Cyclones transfer Darrell Simmons, Jr. and Rimington Trophy winner and Tiffin Dragons transfer center Shane Baumgartner.
Returners Bryce Cabeldue, Michael Ford, Jr. and Logan Brown will make this offensive line strong. Meshing and chemistry will be the major concern. That falls upon new offensive line coach Darryl Agpalsa. Agpalsa has had success under a Leipold system before. He will be tasked with getting this group in the best shape possible.
Finally, the Jayhawks have an underrated wide receiver corps filled with senior leadership and skill. Luke
Grimm, Lawrence Arnold and Quentin Skinner are the big three of this receiving unit. Grimm accounted
for 33 receptions, 555 yards, and 6 touchdowns, Arnold accounted for 44 receptions, 782 yards, and 6
touchdowns and Skinner accounted for 29 receptions, 587 yards and 4 touchdowns.
While no one is a 1000-yard receiver, if you pay attention to average yards per reception you can see
just how big of deep threats each of these players are. Zebrowski showed in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl
last year just how much they can be utilized in this offense and it can be expected that the passing game
will take on a bit more of a load in 2024.
Overall, this offense’s success hinges on their health and how much they can adjust to the
Grimes/Zebrowski system, which is looking like it won’t be too far off from Kotelnicki’s system. Should
this unit stay healthy and adjust well, they will be right up there with the best offensive units in the
nation.
Kansas Jayhawks Defense
The Jayhawks' defense took a major step up last season, going from No. 92 in the nation for team defense
to No. 56. Part of that is due to its experience. A decent amount of it returns this season, hopefully continuing an upward trend.
Look for how much this defense can adjust to new pieces as well as how the front seven will look. Kansas has a shortage of front seven players this season. It lost 2023 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year Austin Booker to the NFL and EDGE Gage Keys to the Transfer Portal. The defensive line will rely on veterans Jereme Robinson, a transfer from the North Dakota State Bison, Javier Derritt and Dylan Brooks to make sure the defensive line is sound.
Thankfully, the Jayhawks have a lot of young talent ready to stand out on defense. Freshmen EDGEs Dak Brinkley and DJ Warner could start this year, but they will be key rotational pieces.
The linebacking corps is viewed as this defense's weakest link. Linebacker has been a problem for the Jayhawks in terms of depth and overall talent. Craig Young, last year's leader, is gone and leaves a major hole. Former defensive backs bulked up in order to play there. Taiwan Berryhill Jr. and Cornell Wheeler have shifted there, along with Marvin Grant moving down from the safety position to assist.
Other than that, junior Jayson Gillium and seniors JB Brown, Alex Raich and Dylan Downing will round
out this unit. It’s not very deep, however. The Jayhawks have larger defensive backs that could fill in as needed. It will be a fast and athletic unit, but tackling and gap-filling could pose an issue.
The secondary looks tough for Kansas. Jim Thorpe Award and Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List member Cobee Bryant leads this unit. Bryant recorded 32 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions, 5 pass deflections, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and a recovery for a touchdown in 2023. He is far from the only one with experience and skills in this unit, though. Fellow senior cornerback Mello Dotson has made a name for himself. Dotson recorded 48 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, 2 returned for a touchdown and 11 pass deflections.
These two alone make this Jayhawks secondary a major force. With Grant, fellow senior safety OJ Burroughs and a host of key rotational pieces, this makes for one of the country's best secondaries.
In Conclusion
This team has a lot of senior leadership. There also is plenty of young talent in waiting. After this season, the Jayhawks will have some major gaps to fill. It's time to strike while the iron is hot with Kansas' experience.
While the Jayhawks have issues across the defensive front seven, staying healthy will matter. If they can do so, then it'll be a banner year. They are a strong contender for the Big 12 title, have a new stadium in waiting and multiple players on Preseason Watch Lists. They are also ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2009. It marks an end of an era full of disappointment and bottom feeding.
There’s competition in the Big 12 this season. Kansas arguably has the easiest road to
the conference title game. They play just one opponent ranked in the AP Preseason Top
25. As long as they can stay healthy and their new players work out, then a Big 12 title game and a potential College Football Playoff spot are in the offing. It's something even three years ago people would have laughed about. But the Jayhawks are here.
Record: 11-1 (8-1 Big 12)
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