The Kansas Jayhawks are gearing up for a season where their ground game will be the cornerstone of their offense. With the quarterback position still up for grabs between Cole Ballard, Chase Jenkins, and Isaiah Marshall, the Jayhawks are setting their sights on a potent rushing attack to lead the charge in the Big 12.
Last season, the duo of Leshon Williams and Daniel Hishaw Jr. laid a solid foundation, racking up a combined 1,147 yards and 12 touchdowns. Williams, an Iowa transfer, impressed with an average of 5.8 yards per carry over 97 rushes, while Hishaw contributed 4.7 yards per carry on 124 attempts. Now, the spotlight shifts to the fresh faces of Dylan Edwards and Yasin Willis, who bring a new dynamic to the Jayhawks' backfield.
Edwards and Willis offer contrasting styles that promise to keep defenses guessing. Edwards, standing at 5-foot-9, is a quicksilver back known for his elite acceleration.
His first season at Kansas State saw him rush for 546 yards and five touchdowns, showcasing his ability to dart through defenses. Injuries may have hampered his second year, but his potential remains undeniable.
On the other hand, Willis, a 6-foot-1 powerhouse, made a name for himself with a standout performance in Syracuse’s opener against Tennessee, scoring three touchdowns. He wrapped up the season with 558 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per carry. Willis combines his imposing physicality with surprising agility and a keen sense for finding the right gaps to exploit.
The question on everyone’s mind is just how formidable this duo can be. While Willis might signal a more straightforward, vertical rushing attack, giving defenses a chance to stack the box, Edwards provides versatility with his lateral agility. This unpredictability makes Edwards a likely candidate to lead in yardage, but Willis' strength and vision are invaluable in crucial, momentum-setting situations.
If both backs can stay healthy and hit their stride, the Jayhawks' backfield could easily surpass the 1,300-yard mark, establishing themselves as one of the most dynamic rushing tandems in the nation. With an offense that averaged 368.8 total yards per game last season, ranked 77th nationally, there's plenty of room for these rising stars to make their mark.
In Other News...
Kansas May Have Finally Fixed A Frontcourt Flaw That Loomed Large
Kansas spent last season looking solid on the defensive glass, but the bigger concern was whether the frontcourt could keep that standard intact when the rotation got stretched. With the roster now supplemented through the transfer portal, the Jayhawks have brought in Christian Reeves and Keanu Dawes to help shore up that area, while freshman Tyran Stokes gives the staff another intriguing option if they need rebounding help in a hurry.
The encouraging part for Kansas is that this no longer looks like a one-man fix. Dawes arrives with a track record of producing on the boards, Reeves gives the lineup another big body to lean on, and Stokes has the kind of profile that can turn into value faster than expected. The question now is whether those pieces settle in quickly enough to turn a lingering depth issue into one of the roster's strengths. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Added A Wave Of Newcomers As One Familiar Name Vanished
Kansas footballs roster finally got its first update since spring ball, and the changes were broad enough to catch the eye of anyone tracking the depth chart heading into the fall. The Jayhawks added 15 newcomers in all, mixing scholarship freshmen, projected preferred walk-ons and a junior college arrival as the staff continued to restock the roster between sessions.
The update also offered the first sign that the program is still in the middle of sorting out its final pieces before camp. Among the additions are six members of the 2026 high school class and a JUCO transfer from Coffeyville Community College, while the roster page no longer looks the same after one familiar name disappeared from it. Kansas is expected to do a full refresh again when August camp opens, but for now the spring-to-summer shuffle already says plenty about how much movement is still happening around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Dennis Parker Jr. Could Change Kansas Biggest Rotation Problem
Kansas has spent plenty of time looking for reliable scoring beyond its top options, and Dennis Parker Jr. gives the Jayhawks a very different kind of answer. The Radford transfer arrives with a rsum built on production, not projection, after averaging 18.3 points and 5.9 rebounds last season, and he brings the kind of perimeter-to-wing versatility that can help stabilize a second unit that has not always had a natural bucket-getter.
Parker is expected to back up the shooting guard and small forward spots, with a path to even more if Kansas needs him to slide into a small-ball role. However the rotation settles, the Jayhawks are clearly counting on him to be more than just depth, because the bigger question is whether he can become the first dependable bench scorer to consistently take some pressure off the starters. [Read more 🡒]