Isaiah Marshall has only started three games in a Kansas uniform, and the early read is pretty clear: the arm talent is real, the growing pains are real too.
The redshirt sophomore has helped push the Jayhawks to a 1-2 record heading into the bye week, a start that matched the preseason worst-case scenario for KU. After next week’s tune-up against Middle Tennessee State, the margin for error shrinks fast if Kansas is going to stay in the bowl picture late in the season.
Still, Marshall is already popping on a national level for one very specific reason. Pro Football Focus says he leads college football in “big-time throws,” defined as “a pass with excellent ball location and timing, generally thrown further down the field and/or into a tighter window.”
That tracks if you’ve watched Kansas this fall. Marshall has mixed the breathtaking with the baffling, often in the same game.
One snap he’s missing a routine throw; the next he’s uncorking something that makes you stop and rewind. He’s shown he can drive the ball 50 yards downfield and has even turned in a 360-degree completion while falling out of bounds near the sideline.
But the highlight-reel stuff hasn’t been enough to cover up the rough patches. In losses to Missouri and Arizona State, the offense didn’t really get going until the second half, and Kansas spent too much time chasing the game.
The numbers tell the same story. Marshall has thrown for 649 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 124 rushing yards.
The turnover count is the bigger issue, though, with three picks and one lost fumble already on the ledger. His 53.7% completion rate would be the lowest by a KU starting quarterback in a full season since Ryan Willis in 2015.
So the talent is obvious. The shot-making is obvious.
What still isn’t clear is whether Marshall can stack together a full 60 minutes without the mistakes that keep putting Kansas in a hole. The magic is there.
The question is whether he can keep it without the head-scratchers.
In Other News...
Kansas Football Suddenly Faces A Real Bowl Problem Under Lance Leipold
A 1-2 start has already put Kansas in an uncomfortable spot, and the early read on the season is forcing a sharper conversation about bowl eligibility than anyone around the program wanted this soon. ESPNs Football Power Index has the Jayhawks finishing 4-8, which would leave Lance Leipolds team short of the mark it needs if it hopes to extend its postseason run and keep building on the momentum the program has had in recent years.
The problem now is the path ahead, because the margin for error is shrinking fast and the schedule does not offer many easy fixes. Kansas is staring at a stretch that leaves very little room for mistakes, with upcoming games against Baylor, TCU and UCF looming as the kind of matchups that can either steady the season or make the bowl chase feel out of reach before the calendar really turns. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Wasted A Winnable Game In The Most Frustrating Way
Kansas had enough yardage, enough first downs and enough defensive resistance to make a trip to Wembley Stadium feel like a game it could have taken control of. Instead, the Jayhawks left with a 24-17 loss to Arizona State after repeatedly coming away empty in the spots that matter most, turning 414 total yards into far too few points and letting drives stall before they could change the flow of the afternoon.
The frustration for Kansas was in the details, from a 6-for-16 day on third down to an offense that could move the ball but not finish possessions. Arizona State did not exactly light it up either, with the Jayhawks defense holding it to 228 yards and forcing plenty of long down-and-distance situations, but Kansas could not cash in on its own chances and never quite escaped the sense of a game left there for the taking. [Read more 🡒]
Tre Whites Return Just Complicated Kansas Next Roster Decision
Tre White is back in the picture for Kansas after being granted immediate eligibility to return for his second season with the program and fifth college season. Bill Self confirmed Whites return and pointed to the offseason work he put in with the Miami Heat in NBA Summer League, a reminder that Kansas has been tracking his development even as his status remained unsettled.
Whites return also matters because it closes out the Jayhawks scholarship count for the 2026-27 roster, which is the kind of detail that can ripple beyond one player. If the rest of the offseason develops the way Kansas is hoping, that final spot may not stay simple for long, leaving Self and his staff to sort through what comes next. [Read more 🡒]