Head coach Lance Leipold and his staff have always tried to implement what they call a “culture of competition.”
If the Kansas football team succeeds in 2025, it will be as a direct result of that culture. Gone is nearly everyone who had a firm grip on a starting spot in 2024. Many of those players had held those places for years at a time as they helped rebuild the Jayhawks.
In are dozens of new transfers from all sorts of programs — SEC, Big 12, FCS, Division II — who share a common hunger for new opportunities. The hope for KU is that this influx of new talent will also motivate the returning players from last season, particularly at spots like linebacker where promising young talents have been waiting in the wings.
“Our guys know that there are positions up for grabs,” Leipold said in the spring. “Everybody’s working. The next big question is when some of those are decided, how do we react if we’re not the guy, how do we have the same competitive work ethic to either continue to compete for the job or accept the role but not be satisfied with it?”
Besides the comprehensive turnover in player personnel, the offseason brought big changes around the Anderson Family Football Complex. Following a disappointing 5-7 campaign that concluded memorable careers like those of Devin Neal, Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson on a somewhat sour note, KU saw more significant staff changes than in any previous year under Leipold.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes left for the same role at Wisconsin after a single year with the Jayhawks; he was replaced by quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski. Defensive coordinator Brian Borland, previously Leipold’s sole DC between stints at Buffalo and KU, retired; cornerbacks coach D.K. McDonald, a former NFL assistant who had been at KU for one season, was promoted in his place.
Analyst Brandon Shelby took up the role of defensive backs coach, and former analyst Matt Lubick returned to KU after one season at Nebraska to serve as KU’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
The most visible change of all is to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, to which the Jayhawks will return on Aug. 23 for the season opener against Fresno State. The Booth has undergone comprehensive renovations to its north and west ends as part of phase one of KU’s Gateway project, and last year the Jayhawks had to split their home games between Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, while it was under construction.
They’ll be spending plenty of time at the new-look Booth as they host seven home games over the course of a longer-than-usual season, given that it starts with a “week zero” game before most teams even begin the year. Road trips will take KU to new places like Orlando, Florida, and Tucson, Arizona, concrete demonstrations of the Big 12’s cross-country expansion, but before the Jayhawks even get there, they will renew the Border Showdown rivalry by traveling to face Missouri in their nonconference finale on Sept. 6.
It’s an interesting season for KU and the wide-open Big 12 that will demonstrate just how effective KU’s roster construction has been under Leipold. His last few rosters were characterized by continuity; outside of several key players like quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., this one is decidedly not.
How well KU’s transfers and rising young players perform at spots like wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback will go a long way toward determining whether the Jayhawks can return to the postseason.
Kansas’ Jalon Daniels throws a pass against Baylor on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Waco, Texas.
Quarterbacks: The 2025 season will serve as the final act in the long and winding career of Daniels, who began as a true freshman thrown to the wolves during the winless 2020 campaign under Les Miles, emerged on the national stage with KU’s shock victory over Texas in Leipold’s first season and cemented his status as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football when the Jayhawks jumped out to an unbeaten start the following year.
Then came the bad breaks: a shoulder injury in the “College GameDay” matchup with TCU that cost him a chunk of that memorable season and, after he had been named the Big 12’s preseason player of the year ahead of 2023, the recurring back tightness that rendered him unable to play 10 of KU’s 13 games that season.
The 2025 campaign has another medical element in play, as Daniels underwent a minor offseason surgery on his knee that limited him in sprint practice. But Leipold, at the conclusion of a Big 12 media day that undoubtedly featured endless questions about Daniels’ health, made sure to counter that narrative: “Jalon did not come out at any time last year (of) any game. Now did he have a cleanup surgery after the season? Yes. But he was there for us.”
Indeed, Daniels played all 12 games for KU in 2024, but it took until about halfway through the year for him to reclaim his previous form. For the quarterback himself, 2025 is about combining ability and availability.
“I think that this will be the year that I’m able to put everything together,” he said.
Redshirt sophomore Cole Ballard and redshirt freshman Isaiah Marshall will compete for a role as Daniels’ backup, with Ballard likely holding the edge based on his returning experience and continued growth as a team leader. True freshman David McComb enrolled early and could have a lot to say about where this position goes in 2026 and beyond.
Kansas running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. (9) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Lindenwood Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan.
Running backs: Over the course of his four years in Lawrence — following the rest of his life lived in Lawrence before that — Neal built an unparalleled legacy with the program and concluded his career as the Jayhawks’ all-time leading rusher.
Hishaw started his career before Neal and will continue it after the graduation of his longtime running mate. The bruising, powerful back has been responsible for some of the most famous highlight-reel runs of the Leipold era. He just hasn’t always been on the field for one reason or another. Early in his career it was a result of fluky, long-term injuries. In 2024, he dealt with injury, illness and a family matter that eventually cut his season short. That resulted in a downturn in production.
By the spring, though, the arrow was pointing up for Hishaw. He expressed enthusiasm about playing at a leaner weight. Coaches said he was in the best headspace of his career and praised him for embracing a leadership role.
Hishaw’s new partner in the backfield is Iowa transfer Leshon Williams, whom KU flipped from Memphis in the early days of the portal back in December. A fellow sixth-year senior, Williams ran for 821 yards during the 2023 season and will figure prominently into KU’s plans for 2025.
Just how much anyone else will get to play is a bit of a mystery. Redshirt sophomore Johnny Thompson Jr. and redshirt freshman Harry Stewart III are at least in the mix for snaps. Thompson may be the most elusive player in the backfield, so he provides a distinct skill set. Stewart had a buzzy freshman year but it didn’t necessarily amount to much action or a favorable position on the depth chart entering 2025.
Kansas wide receiver Cam Pickett makes a catch during the Kansas Football Fan Appreciation Day Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Lawrence.
Wide receivers: This position essentially became the focal point of the offseason, first when the graduations of Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Trevor Wilson left massive holes for the Jayhawks to fill via the transfer portal, and then when several of the players they brought in garnered plenty of hype over the course of the offseason.
It starts with Emmanuel Henderson Jr. Even as a player with five career catches, the senior has made quite an impression on just about everyone around the program.
“When you turn on the Olympics and you watch the 100-meter sprinters, it looks like they’re floating,” tight end DeShawn Hanika said. “Even when he’s in full pads and he takes off, it just looks like he’s coasting. But then at the end of the day you see, you know, he hit 23 mph. And it’s like ‘Well, coach, I’m sorry, but I ain’t going to do that. That’s not in my cards.'”
Indeed, speed is Henderson’s calling card. The former five-star running back made the move to wide receiver and was pushed down Alabama’s depth chart by some of the top players in the nation before making the move to Lawrence in the winter.
Daniels recently marshaled seven of his top receivers for a bonding trip to California. He has a lot of new players to get used to. Beyond Henderson, the top contenders in the spring included Cam Pickett, a Ball State transfer with speed in the slot, and Levi Wentz, an Albany transfer who impressed with his contested-catch prowess. Bryson Canty joined from Columbia over the summer.
A pair of returnees are still in the picture. Keaton Kubecka started his career strong before missing 2024 due to injury. Doug Emilien has both made key plays over the years and served as something of an unsung hero with his blocking ability.
KU’s freshmen at this position are likely redshirt candidates, although Tate Nagy did get mentioned as a possible return specialist during the spring.
Kansas tight end DeShawn Hanika during practice on Saturday, March 30, 2024, in Lawrence.
Tight ends: Co-offensive coordinator and first-time tight ends coach Lubick has an intriguing group to work with, led by Hanika.
The former Iowa State transfer, who is entering his seventh year of college football, has not played in a competitive game since Nov. 26, 2022. Hanika sat out the entire 2023 season amid a state investigation into sports gambling (he had a misdemeanor charge for tampering with records dismissed), moved to KU and then missed 2024 with an Achilles injury.
“He’s been through a lot, and he’s become a leader of this team,” Leipold said. “He’s well respected in the locker room, he works extremely hard. It’s been a frustrating road for him, I just know he’s thankful to be back out there.”
He was supposed to be joined by Keyan Burnett, another veteran transfer from Arizona, but Burnett returned to the Wildcats by hopping back in the portal after just a few months in Lawrence. KU responded by bringing in Boden Groen from Rice.
Leyton Cure is back and could take a step forward as a receiver after garnering just two targets last season, while Leipold expects Carson Bruhn, a redshirt freshman from Sioux Center, Iowa, to grow into a role of some sort by midseason.
KU offensive lineman Kobe Baynes walks off the field after a Devin Neal touchdown at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024.
Offensive line: In 2024, this group had a position battle at center raging well into fall camp — one that resulted in a victory for late-summer transfer Bryce Foster — and swapped its two tackles just weeks before the season. It all worked like a charm, as both of those tackles, Bryce Cabeldue and Logan Brown, went to the NFL, Foster became one of the team’s best players and the offensive line was remarkably consistent during a KU season that was anything but.
Position coach Agpalsa has another tall task ahead of him this year in replacing Brown, Cabeldue and guard Michael Ford Jr. He is going to have to construct a functional line with a combination of young returnees taking on bigger roles and transfers who for one reason or another did not see significant action in the spring vying for starting spots.
Even with the Jayhawks’ returning starters, things aren’t totally steady. Foster, following a promising spring, underwent a cleanup surgery that cut into his availability for fall camp, though he will return for the season. In the meantime, KU has had to rely on Tyler Mercer, a true sophomore who transferred from North Texas, and Amir Herring, a former Michigan transfer who also plays guard, to anchor the line. Kobe Baynes, at least, is firmly ensconced at right guard after a quiet but steady season there in 2025.
The KU staff feels good about Lawrence native Calvin Clements as the Jayhawks’ present and future left tackle after seeing him in small doses late in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Left guard and right tackle are the spots with the greatest uncertainty. Nolan Gorczyca has received plenty of offseason praise over the years that hasn’t necessarily manifested itself in the form of playing time. He entered the spring as KU’s presumptive starter at right tackle but had to sit out after a few practices due to finger surgery and was replaced by Tulsa transfer Jack Tanner. The Jayhawks then proceeded to add a significant challenger in Enrique Cruz Jr., who played the entire 2023 season as Syracuse’s left tackle but was consigned to the bench in 2024.
Injuries also muddied the waters at left guard, where UCLA transfer Tavake Tuikolovatu missed the start of the spring and had to gradually work his way back into action, as another longtime reserve, James Livingston, played with the first team. KU has a lot to figure out upfront over the course of August and perhaps even stretching into the regular season.
Kansas’ Tommy Dunn Jr. (92) and D.J. Withers (52) jog off the field during the game against Houston on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
Defensive line: The Jayhawks will have a returning primary contributor at pass-rush defensive end for essentially the first time in the Leipold era after getting one year each of Kyron Johnson, Lonnie Phelps Jr. and Austin Booker, and he’s a good one.
Dean Miller combined his speed and agility with vastly increased mass and developed into a second-team all-conference end, tallying six sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, most of which he accrued in the latter part of the season.
It’s not quite clear who else will play on the weak side beyond Miller. Bai Jobe didn’t make it a full year at KU before leaving for Miami (Ohio) after spring practice. Leroy Harris III joined the fold after a year at Chattanooga but could potentially redshirt, and Leipold has said it isn’t clear yet whether Kentucky transfer Caleb Redd could factor in this season or might need a year to develop.
Highly touted prospect Dakyus Brinkley has bulked up to 245 pounds and played both on the strong and weak sides during the spring. Texas transfer Justice Finkley, meanwhile, has brought a quiet and steady presence to the strong-side spot.
KU bolstered the strong side further with Illinois transfer Alex Bray, who at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds brings a new level of physicality. Auburn transfer Dylan Brooks is also in the picture at end after working his way back from a torn ACL.
On the inside at tackle, Tommy Dunn Jr. and D.J. Withers are at this point wily veterans and shoo-ins for significant playing time, but as defensive tackles Jim Panagos said during the spring, “Right now I don’t know who’s going to start. That’s a good problem to have.”
That’s in large part because of redshirt sophomore Blake Herold.
“I think he’s going to be one that we’re talking a lot about in this program,” strength coach Matt Gildersleeve said during the spring. “It’s great to have Tommy and DJ upfront there but Blake doesn’t accept that answer … Blake doesn’t want to be the next guy in line. Blake wants to be the guy. And how good is that for DJ and for Tommy?”
The big offseason story at tackle was the return of Gage Keys, who flashed in 2023 and appeared poised for a big role the following year before opting to transfer to Auburn. Then the Tigers had multiple coaches leave shortly after his arrival. Keys barely played, and he found himself missing the relationships he had cultivated in Lawrence. He reconnected in the portal with Panagos, who told him he would have to build his way back up from the bottom, a challenge Keys happily accepted.
Herold’s classmate Marcus Calvin is also set for a small rotational role after tirelessly working his way up during his first two seasons in Lawrence, and KU has one more key veteran presence at the position in Kenean Caldwell.
Kansas linebacker Bangally Kamara takes part in spring practice on Thursday, March 6, 2025, in Lawrence.
Linebackers: Outside of JB Brown, who is now with the Denver Broncos, this position lacked consistency in 2024. Middle linebacker and team captain Cornell Wheeler had an excellent start to the season derailed by an injury suffered in KU’s fourth game against West Virginia. Taiwan Berryhill Jr. struggled at times in place of Wheeler, and Jayson Gilliom, while ostensibly the Jayhawks’ primary option at their “Hawk” linebacker spot, played just 117 snaps all year as injuries and schematic considerations limited his effectiveness.
Speaking of scheme, it’s not clear exactly how McDonald wants to arrange his defenders behind the Jayhawks’ four-man front, but certain comments from the spring suggested KU could opt for a 4-2-5 look more often than it has in years past. That might mean less space for linebackers as a whole, even though KU has a seemingly higher-upside group than it did in previous seasons.
The headliner is Bangally Kamara. A weak-side linebacker who can rush the passer off the edge, he’ll be playing in his third power conference after time with South Carolina and a longer stint at Pittsburgh, and has occupied a variety of positions along the way.
“He’s one of those guys, it looks like he’s not even trying sometimes because he’s a natural, efficient mover,” position coach Chris Simpson said.
KU’s other two transfer additions of the offseason were a pair of middle linebackers in Trey Lathan, who is used to the Big 12 from his time at West Virginia, and Joseph Sipp Jr., a hard hitter like his former Bowling Green teammate Brown, who helped sell Sipp on KU as his eventual destination.
There are more players vying for time at weak-side linebacker. Gilliom has been around the longest of anyone and has completed his transition to linebacker after starting his career as a safety. KU has always been high on Logan Brantley even as injuries have slowed him down in the early stages of his career. And redshirt freshman Jon Jon Kamara already has all the physical tools required as he continues to grow into the position.
Kansas cornerback Jalen Todd participates in a drill during fall camp on Monday, August 5, 2024, in Lawrence.
Cornerbacks: Bryant and Dotson were each first-team All-Big 12 corners in 2024 and received All-American honors from separate publications. Bryant in particular had received first-team all-league honors each of the past three seasons, demonstrating the long-term consistency KU had at the top corner spot.
Now both players are on to the NFL, and the Jayhawks will need to hope that their young players in the secondary are able to step up into vastly bigger roles.
Granted, there are some veteran presences at corner, even if they didn’t play for KU in years past. Most notable is D.J. Graham II, a Utah State transfer who reenters the Big 12 after starting his career at Oklahoma. Drawn to KU by the coaching staff and the high standard it sets for its players, Graham decided to spend his last year in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks added another veteran late in the game in Georgia Tech transfer Syeed Gibbs, with Leipold citing his experience as a nickel back as one of his primary appealing traits. That suggests an opportunity for true sophomore Jalen Todd to start on the outside.
Todd adapted quickly to college ball, aided by his early enrollment in the spring of 2024. But he didn’t play much as a true freshman until a brief injury to Bryant at Arizona State thrust him into action on the outside. He started to garner more and more snaps as the slot corner and played a combined 88 in KU’s final two games.
“I think he’s really stepped into his role really, really well,” Shelby said. “I think he’s a guy that (when) I look back at spring is probably one of the guys that’s really a highlight of that secondary room. I’m very, very excited about him, his future, and he just needs to keep growing, keep learning the game.”
Further down the depth chart but still capable of contributing in 2025 are players like Alabama transfer Jahlil Hurley and redshirt freshman Austin Alexander, who broke his wrist early last season but is starting to build confidence.
Kansas safety Taylor Davis (27) breaks up a pass intended for Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas won 45-36.
Safeties: A rash of injuries made it difficult to ascertain exactly what KU had at safety in 2024. Now-departed O.J. Burroughs and Marvin Grant had offered consistent presences over the years, but with Grant playing closer to the line of scrimmage for much of his final season, the spot next to Burroughs essentially became a revolving door. Devin Dye appeared in just six games, Jalen Dye in five and Mason Ellis in four. All are back for another year, but they’ll have to battle for playing time with the man who took advantage of their frequent absences, Taylor Davis.
Like Todd, Davis had exclusively played mop-up snaps against Lindenwood in KU’s season opener before the injuries forced him onto the field at ASU. He never looked out of place despite his inexperience and went on to earn four starts down the stretch. Now, as a redshirt sophomore, he is suddenly one of the most experienced returnees in the entire secondary.
In the spring, Davis said the unexpected playing time gave him “a sense of direction” and of where he stood as a player, but that he couldn’t become complacent.
KU prioritized adding a veteran safety early in the portal and came away with Oklahoma State transfer Lyrik Rawls, whom Davis called a “natural-born leader.”
“The big thing about Lyrik that we really loved is that he had Big 12 experience, so he knows what it is to play in this conference at a high level,” McDonald said.
The Jayhawks also brought in Laquan Robinson, a former highly touted JUCO recruit who played just five snaps at Auburn.
Kansas’ Finn Lappin punts during spring practice on Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Lawrence.
Special teams: On paper, the kicker and punter KU brought in this offseason look like the best players special teams coach Taiwo Onatolu has had at his disposal in his time at KU.
In his first year as a placekicker, Laith Marjan was nearly perfect at South Alabama. He went 16-for-17 and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s top kicker.
The Jayhawks also replaced one Australian punter with another when Damon Greaves transferred to Colorado and they added Finn Lappin from McNeese State. He averaged 46.1 yards per punt with the Cowboys, which was the best average in that program’s history — it’s also a few yards better than what Greaves supplied last season. KU also made a surprise late-summer addition of former Prairie View A&M punter Efren Jasso.
Emory Duggar, a redshirt senior who has seen occasional past action, should step in as KU’s long snapper following the graduation of Luke Hosford.
Many of KU’s receivers are set to figure prominently into the return game in 2025. Leipold and Onatolu both mentioned Henderson, Kubecka, Nagy and Pickett in the pool from which the Jayhawks will draw their kick and punt returners. That phase of the game was not much of a factor for KU in 2024, when the Jayhawks only returned eight punts all year and Wilson’s 18 kick returns averaged 20.1 yards.
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kansas Athletics
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
Carter Gaskins/Special to the Journal-World
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
Missy Minear/Kansas Athletics