Kansas may have moved on from David McComb, but the former Jayhawk quarterback is making that decision look a lot more complicated by the week.
After leaving KU for Miami (Ohio) this offseason, McComb has emerged as one of the most productive quarterbacks in the Group of Five. He has 1,121 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns and just one interception, and he won the starting job in fall camp over sophomore Thomas Gotkowski. Even with a tweaked knee that kept him out for most of the fourth quarter in yesterday’s win over UConn, his start to the season has been hard to ignore.
The numbers tell the story. McComb’s 17.2 yards per completion leads the FBS, and Miami’s offense has turned into one of the most dangerous vertical attacks in the country.
He’s not piling up those stats against soft competition, either. In Week 1, he threw for 241 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh, then came close to knocking off another Big 12 team in Cincinnati before the Bearcats rallied for a 35-31 win last week.
Coming out of Edmond Memorial High School in Oklahoma, McComb was one of the highest-rated quarterbacks ever to commit to Kansas. ESPN had him as a 4-star recruit and the No. 21 quarterback in the nation. At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, he brought the kind of size and arm talent that always makes people lean in, and that deep-ball skill is showing up now in a big way for the RedHawks.
That development puts his early success in sharper contrast with Kansas’ current quarterback situation. Marshall has been through three games as the Jayhawks’ starter, and the results haven’t been nearly as clean: a 1-2 record, four turnovers and a 53.7% completion rate. McComb, meanwhile, has looked like a quarterback who arrived ready to run an offense from day one.
His transfer to Miami (Ohio) points to a simple reason for the move: playing time. He wanted a chance to start immediately, which suggests the Kansas staff wasn’t willing to hand him that promise. And while both quarterbacks are still early in their careers, McComb is doing this as a redshirt freshman, with Marshall carrying an extra year of experience.
For now, the comparison is pretty clear. McComb has looked like the better quarterback, and he’s doing it in a way Kansas fans probably didn’t expect to be watching from afar.
In Other News...
Kansas Backfield Just Became Lance Leipolds Biggest Early Problem
Kansas early-season injury list keeps growing, and the latest blow has hit the part of the roster that can least afford it. The Jayhawks have already been dealing with absences across both sides of the ball, with linebacker Bam Crouch, wide receiver Cam Pickett, tight end Carson Bruhn and cornerback Syeed Gibbs among the players sidelined, but the backfield has quickly become the most immediate concern for Lance Leipold and his staff.
Running back Yasin Willis is now out after surgery, leaving the Jayhawks scrambling to keep depth intact in the ground game. To help steady things, Kansas added defensive tackle Clifton Thompson and running back Chase Belcher last week, a move that underscored just how thin the room has become with three scholarship backs unavailable. The bigger question now is how long the Jayhawks can piece things together before the strain starts showing on Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Got A Melvin Council Twist Fans Werent Expecting
A legal wrinkle has put Melvin Council Jr. back into the Kansas conversation just as the offseason picture was starting to settle. A judge in Monroe County, New York, issued a preliminary injunction that keeps the guard eligible for the 2026-27 basketball season and bars the NCAA from reaching back with retroactive penalties against him or any school that might roster him.
For Kansas, the immediate intrigue is less about a finished answer than the uncertainty around where this leaves Council next. He was recently listed in the student directory, but the university has not confirmed enrollment, and the injunctions length is still unclear. The NCAA also could appeal, which means the situation remains fluid even as Jayhawks fans look for signs that one more roster piece may be falling into place. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Just Reentered A Debate Jayhawks Fans Will Love
Kansas found its way back into a conversation that had initially left the Jayhawks on the outside looking in. CBS Sports analyst Gary Parrish revised his preseason college basketball rankings and slid Bill Selfs team into the mix at No. 18, a notable turn after Kansas had been omitted in his first pass. The update reflects the kind of roster optimism that tends to travel well in Lawrence, with fifth-year forward Tre White back in the fold and a recruiting class that adds real buzz, headlined by top prospect Tyran Stokes.
Kansas case, though, is still built on a few moving parts. Parrishs view points to a blend of returning pieces and incoming talent as the foundation, but the picture is not fully settled yet with eligibility questions still hanging over some players. For a program that expects to be talked about in the national title picture every year, even a preseason ranking can feel like a small referendum, and this one suggests the Jayhawks have already reentered the kind of debate their fans love to win. [Read more 🡒]