Kansas gets its 2026 season rolling on Sept. 4 with a Friday-night home opener against Long Island University, a team that may not be familiar to many Jayhawk fans but arrives in Lawrence with a few real pieces worth watching.
The Sharks are a relatively new Division I program, having played at that level only since 2019. They compete in the Northeast Conference at the FCS level and finished tied for third in the league last season with a 4-3 conference mark.
LIU also comes in off the most notable season in school history, a year that included a 28-23 win over Eastern Michigan for the program’s first-ever FBS victory. After that, the Sharks hit a rough patch, but they closed strong by winning five of their final six games.
That surge helped build enough momentum for an ambitious schedule that also includes Kansas and Florida International three weeks later. The NEC preseason poll has LIU projected to finish third again.
Ron Cooper leads the program and has been in charge since 2022. He brings more than 40 years of college football experience, along with one NFL season as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive backs coach.
This will also be LIU’s fourth matchup with a Big 12 opponent in its eight years as a Division I program. The results so far have been lopsided: a 66-0 loss to West Virginia in 2021, a 30-7 loss to Baylor in 2023 and a 45-0 loss to TCU in 2024.
On the field, the Sharks’ most dangerous defender might be Trey Watkins. The safety-cornerback hybrid tied for second in the FCS with five interceptions last season and added 51 tackles and two pass breakups. The New Jersey native was named to the FCS Preseason All-America Third Team, and he’ll likely be matched up on the outside against Nik McMillan in what figures to be his biggest test of the year.
Offensively, Greenwood is expected to start at quarterback. In 2025, he threw for 645 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions while also running for 416 yards and four scores.
He entered the transfer portal this offseason before pulling his name back to keep developing with the Sharks. Greenwood runs a run-first, option-heavy attack that should lean on zone reads against Kansas.
Another name to know is defensive tackle Kezni Brown, LIU’s top presence up front. The 21-year-old redshirt junior finished last season with 15 tackles, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble.
At 6 feet and 284 pounds, Brown is built to clog rushing lanes and challenge KU’s offensive line. He, too, was selected to the Preseason All-NEC team.
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