After three preseason games and the first regular-season test against Fordham, Kansas has made one thing obvious: this roster is loaded. Not just deep, but deep with quality. The Jayhawks have real options at almost every spot, and that kind of flexibility is a luxury most teams simply don’t have.
What makes it even more striking is that some of the players now coming off the bench were brought in to start. Keanu Dawes and Leroy Blyden Jr. both arrived with starting-caliber expectations, and both have been nudged down the chart by circumstances that reshaped the roster.
When the NCAA tried to enforce its new five-in-five rule while excluding the class of 2022, it opened the door for players to return through legal avenues. That allowed Melvin Council Jr. and Tre White, who started on last season’s team, to come back to Kansas.
Then the late addition of Trey Kaufman-Renn added another layer, especially for Dawes.
Kaufman-Renn is expected to be in the starting lineup soon, if not Friday against Middle Tennessee then certainly Tuesday against Kentucky in the Champions Classic. The likeliest move is that he replaces transfer Christian Reeves, which would push Kansas toward a smaller, faster look.
Even with those changes, Dawes and Blyden are giving Bill Self something valuable: experienced production off the bench. Dawes came to Kansas after starting last season at Utah, where he logged 57 career starts and posted 12.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He brings energy and a willingness to attack the glass, though White fills a similar role for the Jayhawks.
Blyden’s path is a little different. He played at Toledo last season and didn’t face the same level of competition as Dawes, but his freshman numbers jumped off the page: 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists. Council’s return knocked him out of a potential starting job.
Neither player has acted like a guy disappointed by the role change. Against Fordham, Dawes scored two points but grabbed nine rebounds.
Blyden was much louder on the stat sheet, finishing with 15 points, three assists and two steals. That’s the kind of production Self will want from both players all season.
Reeves is in a similar spot. He was also projected as a starter before sliding into reserve duty, and once Kaufman-Renn takes over, Reeves will back him up. He probably wouldn’t have been asked to carry the same offensive load as Dawes or Blyden, but his minutes are still likely to shrink.
What Reeves does bring is a different profile. He isn’t as comfortable racing up and down the floor as much of the roster, but he rebounds well and can protect the rim. He averaged 7.8 rebounds last year at the College of Charleston and had five boards in 13 minutes against Fordham on Monday.
That variety is part of what makes this Kansas team so tough to match up with. Self can adjust depending on the opponent and the style of the game.
If a matchup calls for more size and physicality inside, Reeves could see more run. At 6-foot-9, Kaufman-Renn may run into some bigger bodies on the schedule, and having Reeves available gives Kansas another answer.
The bigger picture is simple: Blyden and Dawes would start for plenty of programs, but at Kansas they’re luxury reserves. Add in the possibility of foul trouble or injuries over the course of a long season, and the Jayhawks’ depth becomes even more important.
Blyden can do a lot of the things Taylen Kinney and Council can do, while Dawes offers a similar game to White and Kaufman-Renn. Reeves gives Self a different option at center.
Kansas’ bench strength goes well beyond those three names, but they’re a good snapshot of what Self has built. Few teams can absorb lineup changes without much dropoff. Kansas looks like one of them.
In Other News...
Kansas Suddenly Has A Huge Question At Quarterback Before UCF
The quarterback picture for Kansas has turned murky at exactly the wrong time, with Isaiah Marshall, Cole Ballard and Chase Jenkins all listed as questionable ahead of the matchup with UCF. It is the kind of injury report that can reshape a game plan in a hurry, especially when it involves the three players most directly tied to the most important position on the field.
Kansas is also juggling more than just the quarterback spot, with center Kasen Carpenter and backup running back Jalen Dupree among the other names dealing with injury designations. UCF has its own uncertainty under center, with starter Alonza Barnett III probable and Keyone Jenkins questionable, so both teams head into the game with more questions than answers in a matchup that could come down to which sideline settles things first. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Self Thinks Two Kansas Newcomers Have Much More To Give
After Kansas handled Fordham, Bill Self had plenty to like about the early returns from a pair of newcomers who are still settling in. Melvin Council Jr. gave the Jayhawks a steady all-around effort with 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Trey Kaufman-Renn chipped in nine points, five rebounds and two assists in a performance that showed why Kansas brought him in.
Selfs bigger point was that neither player has come close to showing everything they can add yet. He praised Kaufman-Renns basketball IQ and said both newcomers have room to grow as the Jayhawks keep building chemistry, a reminder that even in a comfortable win, Kansas is still sorting out how much more production this roster can unlock. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Kaufman-Renn Is Already Giving Kansas Something Veterans Usually Do
Kansas got a first look at Trey Kaufman-Renn in its home opener, and the early impression fit more like a seasoned role player than a newcomer. In a 95-65 win over Fordham, the Jayhawks stretched their remarkable run to 54 straight home-opening victories, and Kaufman-Renn blended into the flow in a way that stood out for all the right reasons. Coming off the bench, he finished with nine points, five rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes, giving Kansas a steady presence in a game that never really tilted back the other way.
Bill Self came away talking less about the box score than the traits that usually take time to show up from a new face. He praised Kaufman-Renn's basketball IQ and leadership, two qualities Kansas can always use as the schedule gets tougher, while also noting the forward is still building his conditioning. The expectation is that his minutes will grow in the coming weeks, which makes this debut feel less like a one-night cameo and more like the start of a bigger fit for a team that already looks deep enough to keep adding layers. [Read more 🡒]