Kansas enters 2026 with plenty to sort out, and the margin for error already looks thin.
Lance Leipold’s program is coming off back-to-back 5-7 seasons, which means the Jayhawks are trying to climb back toward a bowl while also adjusting to a roster that is still very much under construction. The offseason’s biggest move was the return of former offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who is back in Lawrence after James Franklin’s exit at Penn State. Kotelnicki previously helped guide Kansas to nine wins in 2023, and his return gives this offseason a familiar centerpiece.
Even with seven starters back and a group of transfers with starting experience, Kansas still has a lot of unanswered questions. Tre’von McAlpine is out for 2026 after a season-ending injury earlier this year, and several position groups are being rebuilt with portal help.
Quarterback, though, is the biggest puzzle. Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall have both been in Lawrence for more than two seasons, but the battle remains unsettled with Week 1 drawing closer.
The season also includes a spotlight game that goes well beyond the usual Big 12 calendar. Kansas will face Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Wembley Stadium in London in the Union Jack Classic. The game comes before a Week 4 bye and then a matchup with Middle Tennessee, and it could carry real weight for a team trying to avoid a third straight season without a bowl.
At quarterback, Kansas is moving on from Jalon Daniels, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after six seasons that never quite delivered the breakthrough many expected. Ballard has the edge in experience, including a first career start in 2023 against Kansas State when Daniels and Jason Bean were both unavailable.
His size and the leadership buzz around him have stood out in camp. Marshall, meanwhile, has shown he can create with the ball in his hands, posting 10.7 yards per carry in multiple design run packages last season.
However the job shakes out, Kansas needs cleaner play. Daniels threw seven interceptions, including three against Utah and two against Missouri, and the Jayhawks can’t afford that kind of turnover problem again if they want to get back to the postseason.
That matters with receivers like Nik McMillan, who transferred from Buffalo, and returning target Cam Pickett in the mix.
The backfield could be another source of intrigue, especially with Kansas State transfer Dylan Edwards now in Lawrence. Edwards’ winding path has already included flips from Kansas State to Notre Dame to Colorado and then back to Kansas State in 2024, and his former stop in Manhattan sets up the Oct. 17 road trip as one of the most interesting dates on the schedule.
He also adds speed to a group that already includes 225-pound Yasin Willis from Syracuse and Jalen Dupree from Colorado State. There’s enough depth there to spread the workload, and Kotelnicki should have plenty to work with.
Defensively, Kansas needs a jump after D.K. McDonald’s first season as coordinator.
The numbers were rough: 387 yards allowed per game and 14.5 yards per play. McDonald gets another year to fix it, and he’ll lean on Trey Lathan, who chose to stay rather than enter the portal, as a centerpiece in the front seven.
Blake Herold, who finished with 43 tackles and five tackles for loss, is another important returnee at defensive tackle.
The Jayhawks also need more production and leadership up front from Alex Bray, Leroy Harris and Bam Crouch, the Boston College transfer. Most of that group is back with enough snaps to take a step forward, and Kansas will also need Austin Alexander and Jalen Todd to help in the secondary, along with returning safety Taylor Davis.
If the offense settles in and the defense finds a few more stops late, Kansas has a path back to six wins or more in 2026.
In Other News...
Kansas Special Teams Suddenly Carry More Weight This Fall
Taiwo Onatolu has spent fall camp with a narrower focus and, for Kansas football, that could make a broader difference. With his attention now centered solely on special teams coordinator duties, he has been able to dig into where the unit needs cleaning up, where it has improved and how different pieces can be used in those hidden yards that often decide close games. The mix he is working with includes freshmen and established starters, a reminder that special teams is no longer just a finishing touch for the Jayhawks.
Onatolu also pointed to the work being done around him, including assistant coach Kyle Deweens help and the progress of players such as Dylan Edwards, Tate Nagy, Matthew Gill and Martin Connington in those roles. For Kansas, the appeal is obvious: if those responsibilities keep sorting themselves out in camp, the Jayhawks can bring more stability and more upside to a phase of the game that has a habit of swinging momentum. There is still plenty to sort through, but the early signs suggest special teams may matter more than usual this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Self Just Made Kansas Fans Face His Coaching Future
Bill Selfs offseason conversation with Jon Rothstein carried the kind of weight Kansas fans have learned to brace for whenever the coach addresses his health. After a tough NCAA Tournament loss, Self opened up about how much the strain had been on him and how seriously he had considered whether his coaching days might be nearing the end. For a program built around his presence, even a casual update on his condition comes with real stakes.
Self later said he has since been medically cleared to keep going, and he feels well enough to return for the 2026-27 season while continuing to manage his health. The important part for Kansas is less about one podcast appearance than the reassurance it offered: the Hall of Fame coach is planning to stay on the sideline for at least another year, even if the conversation around his future is no longer something anyone in Lawrence can avoid. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Self Just Framed Kansas Biggest 2026-27 Swing Factor
Bill Self already sees the outline of Kansas 2026-27 ceiling, and it starts with freshman guard Tyran Stokes. The Jayhawks coach said Stokes has the kind of talent that can change the shape of a season, while also pointing to the need for help from players such as Keanu Dawes and Leroy Blyden Jr. for the roster to come together around him. Self framed it as more than just one gifted newcomer carrying the load, stressing that the group has to improve as a whole if it wants to reach the level Kansas expects.
Health will loom just as large, because even a talented group can get pinned down if it cannot stay on the floor together. Self also suggested the early outlook might place Kansas near the back end of the top 25, but he made clear that this is not a low-ceiling team if the pieces develop the right way. For a program that lives in the top tier by expectation, the real question is whether Stokes and the supporting cast can turn promising talent into something much more dangerous by the time that season arrives. [Read more 🡒]