Kansas fans got a promising glimpse of what Jalen Todd might become, and the latest review out of fall camp only adds to the buzz.
Todd’s rise has been quick and demanding. A 3-star prospect ranked as an 89-overall by 247Sports, he arrived with offers from 18 power-conference schools, including Wisconsin, Tennessee, Purdue, Pittsburgh, Nebraska, Michigan State, Michigan, Louisville, Iowa, Indiana, Florida and Auburn.
Kansas didn’t ease him in, either. He was asked to play as a true freshman in 2024, and he responded by growing fast from his first appearance against Lindenwood into a much bigger part of the defense.
As a freshman, Todd posted 9 tackles and 2 passes defended. By the next season, he had become a real presence at both cornerback and HAWK, starting 10 games and finishing with 44 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 passes defended. That production mattered for a Kansas defense that allowed 225.4 passing yards per game, which ranked 68th nationally.
Now Todd is drawing fresh praise in a secondary that has been heavily reshaped. Kansas brought in 15 transfers this offseason, including six defensive backs, and 247Sports ranks the group as the nation’s 53rd-best transfer class. Even with all that turnover, Todd has been the name popping up in camp.
Last week, Matt Gildersleeve, Kansas football’s director of sports performance, was asked who had stood out in speed and strength, and his answer pointed straight to Todd.
“I keep on thinking he's gonna, like, cap, when you look at his progress pictures and where he came in, where he is now, like, you keep on thinking that, but he just keeps on getting faster and bigger and stronger, which is just, like, it's, like, an anomaly,” opened Gildersleeve.
He added, “So he's the fastest; he's 22.71 miles an hour. So he's getting close to, like, E-man [Emmanuel Henderson Jr.] speed, you know, which is just, I kind of, I didn't know he had those mechanics in there.”
That kind of offseason note matters because Kansas is asking for more from its passing defense in 2026. The Jayhawks will have several new faces competing for snaps, including Jaden Harris, Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman, Elijah Cannon, Roman Pearson, Corey Gordon Jr. and Christian Pritchett.
The schedule won’t make life any easier. Kansas has a nine-game straight dynamic on the calendar, along with a trip to Wembley Stadium for the Union Jack Classic against Arizona State. The Jayhawks will also see some of the game’s top quarterbacks, with Devon Dampier (Utah), Avery Johnson (Kansas State), Jaden Craig (TCU), Alonza Barnett III (UCF), Bear Bachmeier (BYU) and Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) all on the slate.
For Todd, though, the bigger mission is simpler: help get Kansas back to a bowl game. As a true junior, he missed the Jayhawks’ 2023 Guaranteed Rate Bowl win over UNLV and has instead lived through back-to-back 5-7 seasons that came down to razor-thin margins.
In Other News...
Kansas Finally Has A Defensive Strength Fans Can Believe In
Early in fall camp, one part of Kansas defense has started to separate itself from the rest of the roster, and its the linebacker room. Lance Leipold has pointed to the group as the strongest position on that side of the ball, with Quincy Davis, Bam Crouch and Jibreel Al-Amin drawing notice for the kind of performance and versatility that can stabilize a defense while the rest of camp sorts itself out.
Trey Lathans return only adds to the sense that this unit can be more than just dependable. After leading the Jayhawks in tackles last season, he gives Kansas a proven presence in the middle of the defense and another layer of depth behind the players already making an impression. For a team trying to build real confidence on that side of the ball, the linebackers are giving it something tangible to point to. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Is Watching Another Guard As One Roster Decision Looms
Kansas is keeping an eye on the transfer market again, this time with an eye toward the future. Former Morgan State guard Alfred Worrell Jr. has emerged as a name of interest for a handful of programs after recent NCAA federal court injunctions gave him additional eligibility, and the Jayhawks are among the schools reportedly involved. Worrell was one of the top scorers in the MEAC, which helps explain why his market is broader than a typical late-summer name on the board.
For Kansas, the timing matters as much as the talent. Worrell is being viewed as a possible piece for the 2026-27 roster, but any real push for him may depend on other roster and eligibility decisions still hanging over the program. With several schools also recruiting him, this is the kind of situation that can move quickly once the Jayhawks get a clearer picture of their own guard room. [Read more 🡒]