But last week, after a fair amount of reflection, Logan decided to stay for one more season. He announced his decision to return to KU for his final season of college eligibility in a video on social media.

On Monday, during the program’s pre-Liberty Bowl media day, Logan shared what went into the decision.

“I felt like it was the best thing for me, and it was a chance to come back and help this program,” He said. “I saw what we did this year and I know there’s a lot more we still can do.”

Asked specifically what he was deciding between, Logan said simply, “Here or going to the NFL.”

As it turns out, the NFL can wait. Logan has been a tackling machine during the past two seasons with the Jayhawks. In 2021, he led the Big 12 in tackles, with 113 — the most by a safety in the entire NCAA — and this year, with a better supporting cast around him, Logan recorded a team-best 96 tackles and also snatched two interceptions, with four pass break-ups.

Logan said he talked with his teammates, KU coach Lance Leipold and his family about the decision before making the final call. And he said Leipold’s very public desire to have him back with the program next season played an important role in the final call.

“That meant a lot, because me and coach’s relationship was really strong,” Logan said Monday. “So, to hear him say that, to hear him want to coach me one more time, was definitely exciting.”

A month ago, before KU’s senior day game against Texas, Leipold made it clear how much he wanted Logan to return.

“I hope it’s not Kenny’s last game in this stadium for us,” Leipold said at the time. “Kenny knows how we feel about him, his great contributions to this program. “I’m not approaching it that way (that he might leave KU) and hope he’s not either, but a lot of guys have decisions they have to make. That’s part of the world we are living in now, whether a guy red-shirted and can leave, a guy getting (an extra season because of the pandemic). There are a lot of things there. Kenny has done a lot for this program for a long time, a lot during transition. He’s played extremely well. I hope I’ll give you a longer answer (about his contributions) next year when you ask about him.”

That almost certainly will be the case now, with Kansas returning the anchor of its secondary for the 2023 season. And Logan, who said the past handful of weeks felt “a little bit” like being recruited again, said he appreciated the reaction he saw from Kansas fans and his teammates after he made his decision public.

“It was definitely exciting to see they were excited for me to come back,” he said.