Kansas football is heading into 2026 with a bigger leadership group than it has used in years.
The Jayhawks announced five captains Wednesday night, marking the first time since 2017 that Kansas has named more than four. With the season opener just over a week away, the program turned to a mix of veterans on both sides of the ball - and at specialist - to lead the way.
The captains are redshirt juniors Blake Herold, a defensive tackle; Cole Ballard, a quarterback; and Calvin Clements, an offensive lineman, along with redshirt seniors Trey Lathan, a linebacker, and Rino Monteforte, a long snapper.
Lathan arrives as one of the most proven names in the group. He spent his first season at Kansas in 2025 after transferring from West Virginia, then went on to lead the team with 86 tackles and earn All-Big 12 Honorable Mention recognition. He also picked up preseason attention recently, landing on both the Butkus Award Preseason Watch List and the Chuck Bednarik Award Preseason Watch List.
Clements brings a local connection to the mix. A Lawrence native and Free State High School graduate, he has appeared in every Kansas game over the past two seasons.
Herold also earned his spot through production last year, finishing sixth on the team in tackles.
Ballard remains in a quarterback battle with Isaiah Marshall, but he’s already a familiar name to Jayhawks fans. Many remember him from Kansas’ near-breakthrough against Kansas State in 2023, when he nearly helped end the losing streak in that rivalry game.
Monteforte rounds out the group after a season at California in which he played in every game. Before that, he was at Notre Dame, where he served as the primary long snapper in 2024 and also appeared in the Fighting Irish’s national championship loss to Ohio State.
Each captain will take part in the coin toss before kickoff for Kansas’ season opener and home opener against Long Island University on Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The game will air on ESPNU.
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