The Kansas football team managed to squeeze 86 players into its season-opening blowout win over Long Island on Friday night, head coach Lance Leipold said, with many of them cameoing in the second half once the score was already well out of hand.
That provided quick introductions to many of the Jayhawks’ numerous newcomers, and reintroductions to the returning contributors.
But because KU only ran with its starting units for a little over two quarters — and even in that period rotated at select positions, as it often does — there are quite a few players who will slot into key roles this season who didn’t get to display their talents all that much against the Sharks.
Here are some players who will get many more chances over the course of the season, but weren’t particularly prominent in the season opener.
Austin Alexander: The third-year cornerback managed to hold off Ball State transfer Roman Pearson for a starting job, and unlike some of the listed starters at competitive positions (Alex Bray, Eamon Smalls), he actually did take the first snap on defense. The opener could have provided an opportunity to see how much he has grown after an up-and-down first season of action.
But Alexander only played 19 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He was targeted once without allowing a catch and did not record a tackle in the official box score. KU rotated him and Jalen Todd out pretty quickly for Roman Pearson and Syeed Gibbs, who ended up receiving approximately as many snaps. It was difficult to get a read on Alexander’s purportedly increased confidence in such a small sample size.
Jailen Butler: The narrative all offseason with Butler was that although his previous school Old Dominion never really threw him the ball — he had 18 catches on 32 targets in two seasons as the starting tight end — the former JUCO basketball player wielded the necessary athleticism to contribute in the passing game, beyond his well-established history as a blocker.
Given that he started on Friday and was on the field quite a bit, he could potentially have gotten a chance to display just how well rounded of a tight end he truly is. Associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki did position him in some creative ways, including out wide and in the slot. But he only got targeted once, and it was on new quarterback Isaiah Marshall’s worst throw of the night, a pass on which two LIU defenders separated him from Butler that could easily have been intercepted by Martavius Durden Jr.
Dylan Edwards: This may not be an entirely fair pick because Edwards did have the ball in his hands a lot; he carried it six times and caught it four — an indication of how involved he’ll be in the passing game — in 22 offensive snaps. But while he provided fleeting glimpses of just how elusive he can be in the open field on a 17-yard run and 16-yard catch, and also looked good in pass protection for Marshall, he didn’t necessarily announce his presence with any sort of dramatic explosive play against the Sharks.
He also didn’t get the chance to return a kickoff because LIU scored rarely and didn’t kick off at all until the second half, and that will be one primary outlet by which he demonstrates his skills.
Matt Gill: It’s not the first time this has happened early in a KU football season, but the Jayhawks got through their opener without having to punt; the two drives that stalled in the first half yielded a turnover on downs and a field goal. That means there is still no on-field evidence as to what Gill, an Australian import who has yet to play in a college football game, can do.
Nick Morrow: Morrow, a 6-foot-8, 330-pound Cal transfer with two years of experience as a starting power-conference left tackle, looked for all the world like a plug-and-play starter at right tackle opposite Calvin Clements when he arrived at KU. And he did indeed start and play 33 snaps with a decent 77.1 PFF grade in the opener against Long Island.
That being said, how KU chose to rotate its offensive linemen was always going to reveal a bit about ongoing competition at each spot, and it only took a couple drives before Morrow gave way to fast-rising former Northwest Missouri State transfer DeAndre Harper. Harper, who has also worked at guard in recent weeks, ended up outsnapping Morrow on the night. It seems like the margin separating the two is closer than previously believed, and how they fare against higher-level opponents could go a long way toward determining who plays more as the season progresses.
Kansas cornerback Austin Alexander (0) and safety Darrion Jones collide during the first day of KU Football’s fall camp on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Lawrence.
Kansas tight end Jailen Butler looks downfield during the first day of KU Football’s fall camp on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, in Lawrence.
Kansas defensive tackle Eamon Smalls (left) and offensive lineman Nick Morrow participate in Kansas football’s spring practice on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Lawrence.
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World
Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World