Kansas may have found a little more pop in its tight end room, and Carson Bruhn is the name to watch.
The healthy junior has long been valued for what he brings as a blocker, but during fall camp he showed a sharper edge as a receiver, giving offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki another piece to work with as he returns to guide the Jayhawks’ offense. Kotelnicki said Bruhn’s progress with the ball in his hands stood out throughout camp.
“That has been by far one of his biggest improvements this season,” Kotelnicki said.
Kansas pushed Bruhn to grow into more than a physical presence in the run game, and Kotelnicki said the tight end answered that challenge. He pointed to the kind of catches Bruhn was making in practice as evidence of how far he had come.
“He has a bunch of film from this fall of him making some really good catches, some back-shoulder catches, some big-body catches,” Kotelnicki said.
That kind of development matters because Kotelnicki wants options he can move around and deploy in different ways. He has talked about having multiple “puzzle pieces” on offense, and a tight end who can block and catch widens those possibilities.
Bruhn’s progress is also notable because injuries affected his previous season. Now healthy and heading toward the start of 2026, he has used camp to show he can be more than a blocking specialist.
Kotelnicki sees that as a boost not just for Bruhn, but for the entire tight end group.
“Which is going to be incredible for us to use as a weapon in the tight end room,” Kotelnicki said.
Kansas is expected to lean on several different playmakers while breaking in a new starting quarterback this season. If Bruhn’s receiving gains hold up, the Jayhawks could have another matchup problem for Big 12 defenses to deal with.
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Kansas Defense Has One Position Group Fans Should Worry About
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The concern comes inside, where the defensive tackle room is the one group that leaves the most questions. Losing TreVon McAlpine in the offseason changed the outlook there, and it pushed that position to the bottom of the confidence rankings even as the rest of the defense appears on track to improve overall. For Kansas, how well that interior group holds up may end up shaping just how far the Jayhawks can take the next step. [Read more 🡒]