The latest bowl projection for Kansas football ought to stir up some optimism around the program.
In Kyle Bonagura and Mark Schlabach’s newest “2026-27 preseason College Football Playoff, bowl projections,” Kansas was placed in the Frisco Football Classic against UTSA. The Jayhawks have never faced the Roadrunners, who are coached by Jeff Traylor.
UTSA has been a steady winner under Traylor. In his six seasons, the Roadrunners have not finished below seven wins and have reached nine wins in three different years.
For Kansas, though, the bigger story is simply getting back to a bowl. That remains the measuring stick for the program under Lance Leipold, and so far he has guided the Jayhawks to two bowl appearances.
That was the first time Kansas had done that since 2008 under Mark Mangino. A third bowl trip in Leipold’s tenure would be another meaningful step.
The Jayhawks are heading into the 2026 season with the usual early-season uncertainty, but there’s not much time for it to linger. Unlike last year, Kansas will not have a Week 0 game, so the team will wait one more week than some before taking the field. With a front-loaded schedule ahead, the focus is clear: survive the stretch and get to bowl eligibility.
One reason for confidence is experience. A recurring issue around Kansas this offseason has been the program’s lack of it in big moments - the kind of thing that can show up in bad decisions late, missed tackles, or angles that break down at the wrong time. Kansas tried to address that in the portal.
The result is a roster that is set to bring back 25,508 snaps, which ranks 30th nationally. The Jayhawks also have 355 starts on hand, good for 26th in the country.
That experience boost extends to the staff, too. D.K. McDonald is back for his second season running the defense after Kansas finished 95th nationally on that side of the ball last year, giving up 409.5 total yards per game.
Andy Kotelnicki is also back in the fold as associate head coach after a two-year run at Penn State. He will handle play-calling this season, and his connection with Leipold goes back to 2013 outside of the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
In Other News...
Lance Leipold's Latest Camp Update Raises A Real KU Lineup Question
Fall camp has brought the usual mix of progress and interruption for Kansas, and Lance Leipolds latest update made clear that the Jayhawks are still sorting through the effects of injuries and illnesses as they try to build continuity. The coach pointed to offensive linemen Kasen Carpenter and Tavake Tuikolovatu as examples of players who have missed time, leaving certain groups short on the kind of repeated reps that matter most this time of year. At the same time, Leipold said several defensive players have taken steps forward, and a few unexpected names have started to push their way into the conversation.
For Kansas, the bigger issue is less about who has looked good in flashes and more about who can hold up once the season opener arrives. Leipold stressed the importance of consistency and physicality, two things that are harder to find when practice rotations keep changing. The camp has already produced some surprise risers, but it has also left at least one real lineup question hanging as the Jayhawks work toward a clearer picture of what they can trust early on. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Camp Winners Are Starting To Clarify Leipolds 2026 Depth Chart
With more than 50 newcomers on the roster, Kansas has spent training camp sorting through a lineup that looks far different from the one Lance Leipold will eventually lean on in 2026. That kind of turnover always creates opportunity, and early practices have started to show which players are beginning to separate themselves from the pack as the Jayhawks try to build some order before the depth chart hardens.
A true freshman defensive back has already made an early impression, while the tight end room appears to be taking shape behind the starter with one player pushing into a more meaningful role. Kansas also looks set to lean into multi-tight end formations, which should give those developments extra weight once the games start counting and make the emerging pieces even more important to Leipolds plans. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas May Have Found A New Difference Maker In The Secondary
Kansas is taking another look at its secondary with Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman in the mix, a transfer safety whose 2023 season at Iowa State was cut short early by injury. The move gives D.K. McDonald another versatile piece to evaluate as the Jayhawks continue sorting out their defensive backfield, and it is not hard to see why the staff is interested. McDonald has already pointed to Cummings-Colemans athleticism as a trait that could translate quickly.
The real question now is where he fits. Cummings-Coleman is expected to compete for the nickelback job, a spot that can ask a defender to cover receivers, handle run support and react fast in space. For Kansas, that makes him more than just another body in camp. If he settles in the way the staff hopes, he could become one of the more intriguing new options in a secondary looking for impact. [Read more 🡒]