Kansas enters year six under Lance Leipold carrying a lot more than the usual preseason questions. The Jayhawks are heading into an overseas trip to Wembley Stadium early in the season, and they’ll do it with a roster that looks heavily rebuilt: 30 new transfers and 19 incoming freshmen.
But the biggest storyline might be the one under center.
Different outlets have pointed to different names, but the quarterback competition is down to Isaiah Marshall and Cole Ballard, with Ballard currently viewed as the likely starter. Phil Steele weighed in on the battle during Jayhawk Slant’s “Inside Slant” podcast, and he made it clear he sees real options for Kansas.
“But they've got two quarterbacks that coach Leipold feels good that they could play winning football with. Cole Ballard has plenty of experience, got his feet wet, has been a good backup the last couple years,”
Ballard, now a redshirt junior, has appeared in 15 games and started in 2023. He has thrown for 445 yards on 35 passes, with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, and he has added 209 rushing yards on 40 carries without scoring on the ground.
Steele also highlighted Marshall’s athleticism.
“And then Isaiah Marshall. A guy that's extremely athletic, sort of reminds you of Devon Dampier a little bit.
And they add in Chase Jenkins, who might be the fastest quarterback. So I like the quarterback position”
Marshall, a redshirt sophomore, came out of Michigan as a 3-star recruit and was ranked the nation’s 31st-best quarterback in the 2024 class. He has 28 passing yards and 160 rushing yards, and the 2025 season will be the first in which he has logged meaningful minutes.
Steele’s comparison to Devon Dampier comes with some serious production attached. Last season, Dampier passed for 2,490 yards with a 63.5% completion rate, plus 24 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.
He also ran for 835 yards and 10 scores. Across his time at New Mexico and Utah, Dampier has totaled 5,783 passing yards, 42 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, along with 2,329 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns.
The battle doesn’t sound settled, but it also doesn’t sound wide open. The sense around the program is that no one would be shocked if either Marshall or Ballard gets the nod in Week 1 against LIU. Ballard has been the name most often linked to the starting job, though fall camp still gives Marshall a chance to push his way into the lead.
Jenkins, meanwhile, has been mentioned as the likely third option. The former Rice transfer arrives at Kansas with 1,029 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, plus 615 rushing yards and six scores.
Whoever wins the job will inherit an offense that has work to do. Kansas finished last season ranked 77th nationally in total offense at 368.8 yards per game. Through the air, the Jayhawks were 88th in the FBS at 211 passing yards per game.
In Other News...
What KU Insiders Are Already Saying About Tyran Stokes
The buzz around Tyran Stokes has started well before he ever plays a meaningful game for Kansas, and that says plenty about the kind of freshman he is walking into Lawrence as. Former assistant Norm Roberts was already drawing a striking comparison from what he saw in practice, while the broader chatter around Stokes has only added to the anticipation for a program that knows how quickly elite talent can change the mood around a season.
Late Night in the Phog suddenly feels like a date Kansas fans will circle a little harder, because Stokes has become the kind of player people want to see in person before the real games begin. The excitement is part of a bigger KU moment too, with the mens program looking ahead to a roster that could be shaped by him and the football side trying to prove its own worth amid rising expectations around the stadium project and Lance Leipolds latest pressure points. [Read more 🡒]
JHX Hoops Brings New Life Into Deciding Showdown With K-State
The Kansas alumni team JHX Hoops gave itself a fresh shot in The Basketball Tournament by digging out of a second-half hole and evening its three-game series with K-States Purple Reign. The 84-80 comeback in game two turned what had looked like a lopsided matchup into a deciding showdown, with JHX Hoops showing the kind of resilience that has made this group easy to believe in when the pressure rises.
Zeke Mayo helped spark the rally with a timely 3-pointer that trimmed the margin to one, and Sherron Collins said the late stretch felt different because the group stayed confident and played with more energy. Now the Jayhawks alumni side heads into game three with momentum, a little more edge and the sense that if it can bring that same aggression again, the series is very much there to be won. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got A Brutal Reality Check Before Leipold's Biggest Test
Kansas is heading into Lance Leipolds latest season with a roster that looks anything but settled, thanks to a heavy wave of turnover that includes 30 new transfers and 19 freshmen. Even before the Big 12 grind begins, the schedule is already asking plenty of this group, with one of the nonconference trips taking the Jayhawks overseas to London and a slate that leaves very little room for error once conference play arrives.
Phil Steeles read on the schedule was blunt for a reason: Kansas has only three true Big 12 home games, six away conference dates and a bye week tucked into Week 4 before the final stretch turns into a nine-game run without another break. For a team still trying to piece together its identity, that kind of travel and imbalance can wear on a roster fast, which is why the early part of the season may end up mattering just as much as the headline matchups later on. [Read more 🡒]