Kansas fullback Jared Casey, left, catches a 2-point conversion past Texas defensive back Brenden Schooler, right, to defeat Texas 57-56 in overtime of an NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
It’s been a wild few days for Kansas football walk-on Jared Casey.
From unexpectedly and improbably making the game-winning catch on a 2-point conversion to beat Texas, to watching a video of the moment posted to social media by his brother go viral all the way to NIL deals with Applebee’s, car dealerships and others, Casey has quickly gone from anonymous to the limelight.
On Wednesday, at KU football’s regularly scheduled player availability at the program’s indoor facility, Casey talked with reporters about the aftermath and excitement of all of it.
A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.
