Offense
The quarterback position will be interesting to monitor. Prolific signal caller Jalon Daniels is gone. His backup, Cole Ballard returns, along with dual threat Isaiah Marshall. Ballard can also use his legs, but Marshall is an electric runner. I expect Ballard to be QB1 as he can spin it.
The running back room will feature three dynamic transfers. Dylan Edwards (Kansas State), Yasin Willis (Syracuse), and Jalen Dupree (Colorado State) help lift this room to a higher level. Edwards is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will have fun finding creative ways to use him.
The wide receiver room returns some experience in Cam Pickett, Keaton Kubecka, Tate Nagy, and tight end Carson Bruhn. The additions of Nik McMillan (Buffalo), Nahzae Cox (Middle Tennessee State), and tight end Jailen Butler (Old Dominion) are big. McMillan’s production at Buffalo was very prolific and should translate well to KU.
The offensive line room returns experience in Calvin Clements, Amir Herring, Tavake Tuikolovatu, DeAndre Harper, and Jack Tanner, among others. The additions of Kasen Carpenter (Oklahoma State), Nick Morrow (California), Brandon Solis (Missouri), Trezelle Jenkins (D2 Wayne State MI), and Conor Stroh (Texas) are massive.
Defense
The defensive line room returns experience in Leroy Harris III, Blake Herold, Alex Bray, Dakyus Brinkley, and Marcus Calvin. The additions of Kevin Oatis (Arkansas), David Santiago (Michigan State), Eamon Smalls (UAB), Tre’Von McAlpine (Tulane), and Jibriel Conde (D2 Grand Valley State) provide added depth to this unit.
The linebacker room features Trey Lathan. Lathan led the team with 86 tackles last season. The additions of Jibreel Al-Amin (Marshall), Quincy Davis (New Mexico State), Jaron Willis (South Carolina), Landyn Watson (Kentucky), and Daveon Crouch (Boston College) are crucial for this defense.
The secondary returns experience in Austin Alexander, Jalen Todd, Taylor Davis, and Syeed Gibbs. The additions of Elijah Cannon (Mississippi State), Jaden Harris (Georgia), Corey Gordon Jr. (Louisville), Christian Pritchett (Georgia Tech), Roman Pearson (Ball State), and Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman (Iowa State) are huge for this defense.
Specialists
Kicking duties will belong to Michigan State transfer Martin Connington, who was consistent last season. Punting duties will belong to Australian freshman Matthew Gill. Tate Nagy and Kansas State transfer Dylan Edwards will be dynamic as return men as well.
2026 Schedule
- 9/4 Long Island
- 9/11 Missouri
- 9/19 vs Arizona State in London, England
- 10/3 Middle Tennessee State
- 10/10 at Utah
- 10/17 at Kansas State
- 10/24 Baylor
- 10/31 at TCU
- 11/7 UCF
- 11/14 at West Virginia
- 11/21 BYU
- 11/28 at Oklahoma State
Final Analysis
The return of Andy Kotelnicki as offensive coordinator will be huge, as he and Lance Leipold have worked well together. This team seems to be deeper heading into the season than they have before. Settling on a quarterback will be crucial. The early season stretch of Missouri and Arizona State in London will tell us what we need to know about this team.
