Kansas is still sorting through the fallout of injuries, but the Jayhawks got a little more breathing room this week with the additions of defensive tackle Clifton Thompson and running back Chase Belcher.
The timing gives KU something it would not always have in another level of football: a chance to slow things down. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald, who spent three years with the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive backs, pointed out how different this is from the NFL grind, where a midseason arrival might need to be ready to start almost immediately.
“At least we got a couple days, a couple weeks to get him kind of accustomed to what we’re doing,” McDonald said, “instead of the GM (general manager) asking you, ‘How many snaps is he going to play for us this week?'”
Thompson and Belcher became eligible after an injunction in Indiana, and KU does not sound as if it is in a rush to throw either player into a heavy workload right away. That extra time should help them get into shape and absorb the playbook, even if the Jayhawks could still find a way to use Belcher sooner than later.
On offense, associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki said his mindset is simple: if a player is eligible, he can be part of the mix.
“We can get that position coached up, ready to go,” Kotelnicki said.
Thompson’s path to Lawrence has been especially abrupt. McDonald said the defensive tackle was coaching high school football last week before making the jump to KU.
“He was coaching high school football last week,” McDonald said of Thompson. “He gave a goodbye speech and went from breaking down the huddle to being in our huddle.
So it’s a quick turnaround for him, but that’s how it is in this landscape. Welcome to college football and college sports.”
Defensive tackle Eamon Smalls put the whole thing in his own way: “It’s life in the big city, you know what I’m saying?”
Smalls also made clear the Jayhawks are welcoming Thompson into the room.
“We’re going to roll, we’re going to welcome him to the family and everything like that,” Smalls said of Thompson. “We’re going to get him caught up on the playbook and everything like that. That’s our brother, we love him.”
At 6-foot-2 and 335 pounds, Smalls is hardly undersized, but even he noticed Thompson’s frame right away. Thompson checks in at 6-2, 350, and KU is counting on that kind of mass to help lighten the load in the middle of the defensive front.
Smalls said his first thought was that Thompson is a “massive guy.”
That matters for a defense looking for more bodies at nose tackle in odd fronts. McDonald called it a big addition for a very specific reason.
“What’s exciting is another big body,” McDonald said. “You need that in this day and age in this game.
For what we do, it’s always nice to have a big zero-technique. They’re hard to find … We hope in a couple weeks here we get him up and going and hopefully get him in the game and have another big guy to go along with ‘Big E.'”
KU was not exactly shopping from a deep roster of options when it landed Thompson and Belcher. McDonald said the staff worked with the players available in the current college sports environment.
“We chose from the best that was available with everything that’s going on in the landscape of college sports now,” McDonald said.
“We had to do what was best to make Kansas football better,” Kotelnicki added.
The staff did find reasons to believe both players can help. Thompson was a second-team all-conference defensive tackle at the FCS level, and Belcher arrives after stops at three schools. Last season at FBS Kennesaw State, he rushed for 566 yards.
McDonald said Thompson already shows strong hands and short-area quickness. Kotelnicki said Belcher brings “really good size and power and change of direction, has good vision, the things that you see with him on film.”
Quarterback Isaiah Marshall said he is glad to have both players in the fold.
“I’m excited to have them, and happy to have them along on this team and this journey that we’re about to go on,” Marshall said.
That journey starts quickly, with KU set for nine straight weekends of games beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. against Middle Tennessee. Thompson and Belcher arrive as reinforcements for a roster that has already taken hits, with Thompson helping replace Tulane transfer Tre’von McAlpine after his ACL injury and Belcher stepping in to help cover for the long-term injuries to Kory Amachree, Justin Thurman and Yasin Willis.
In Other News...
Bill Self Just Opened The Door To More Kansas Roster Changes
Bill Self sounded optimistic when he talked about Kansas roster for the 2026-27 season, and for good reason. The Jayhawks appear to have a blend of returning pieces, transfer help and elite freshman talent, with Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney headlining the incoming class. Self also singled out the prospects of Paul Mbiya and Kohl Rosario as part of the mix, while transfers Keanu Dawes and Christian Reeves give Kansas some added size and depth up front.
Tre White is also expected back with the program, which adds another layer to a roster already taking shape in the background. For a Kansas team that is always balancing the present with what comes next, the intrigue now is how many more adjustments Self wants to make before the picture is truly set, and whether the final version ends up looking as settled as it first seemed. [Read more 🡒]
Tre White Just Changed How Kansas Fans See This Team
Tre Whites arrival has given Kansas a much-needed boost at a time when the roster has looked different than it did only a few months ago. After a wave of offseason departures, the Jayhawks have been reshaped by a new group of players, and the overall reaction around the program has already shown up in the preseason rankings. White fits the kind of addition that can steady a team undergoing that sort of turnover, bringing scoring, defense and a seasoned presence to a group that will need all three.
For Kansas fans, the bigger question now is not whether the talent is there, but how quickly it all comes together. White is expected to be one of the players helping bridge the gap between the programs recent exits and its next version, especially with a young roster leaning on newcomers for immediate production. The early signs suggest the Jayhawks are being viewed differently now, but the real test will come once this new mix starts playing for keeps. [Read more 🡒]
Jalon Daniels Faces His First Real NFL Test With Buccaneers
Jalon Daniels is about to get a crash course in NFL life, and the Buccaneers are asking the former Kansas Jayhawks quarterback to handle it sooner than expected. Daniels won the backup job in the preseason, enough to earn trust inside the building, and now he is set to make his first start against the Green Bay Packers while Tampa Bay still hunts its first regular-season win.
For Kansas fans, it is another reminder of how quickly Daniels path has shifted from college standout to pro quarterback under the spotlight. He has barely any NFL experience, and the Bucs are turning to him because of a roster need that changes the stakes immediately, giving him a chance to guide an offense in a game that matters for more than just his development. [Read more 🡒]