Kansas is lining up its quarterback room around one clear trait: whoever wins the job next year has to be able to hurt defenses on the ground.
That’s been the formula for the Jayhawks before, and it’s the standard they’re trying to keep in place as Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall battle for the top spot. Before that competition, Kansas leaned on Jalon Daniels, who wasn’t just steady throwing the ball - he was the kind of runner who changed the whole shape of the offense. The Jayhawks finished with more than 1,400 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Ballard and Marshall each bring mobility to the table. Ballard has 209 rushing yards on 40 carries across 15 games, while Marshall has 160 yards on 15 carries in nine games.
But there’s another name in the mix, even if he’s not really part of the starting conversation. Transfer quarterback Chase Jenkins is settling into the program after three seasons at Rice, and passing game coordinator Jim Zebrowski made it clear Jenkins still matters to what Kansas wants to do.
“What happened the first couple years we were here? Multi-quarterbacks. Like Cole, played as a true freshman,” opened Zebrowski to the media earlier this month.
Zebrowski pointed back to the way Kansas has already operated under him. In his first three years with the program, Daniels and former quarterback Jason Bean split first-team snaps.
Bean finished 2021 with 182 passes to Daniels’ 117. In 2022, Daniels had 230 attempts and Bean had 136.
Then in 2023, Bean closed with 199 attempts while Daniels had 75, and Ballard added 36 passes of his own that year.
That’s the kind of depth Zebrowski says is essential when the offense is built around quarterbacks who can run.
“So I think one of my strengths is that I have to make sure, when you have quarterbacks who are dynamic and will run, as part of your offense, you have to have depth, or you can't do it. A lot of programs have faltered because they run a quarterback and have no depth. The next guy becomes a non-runner, the whole offense changes, and they go backwards.”
Jenkins fits that idea neatly. A former quarterback who also spent time at receiver before moving back under center, he brings 615 rushing yards for his career, including 531 last season with five touchdowns.
He also has 1,125 passing yards, nine touchdowns, three interceptions and a 69.1% completion rate. Rice went 5-8 last season after moving to a spread option offense.
For Kansas, the bigger picture is obvious. The Jayhawks finished 60th in the nation in rushing last season at 157.8 yards per game, and Daniels led the team in rushing in two games, against Missouri and Arizona, both losses that were part of a 5-7 season.
In Other News...
Kansas Just Added Serious NFL Experience To Its Quarterback Room
Kansas added a familiar pro-style voice to its offensive staff with the arrival of John DeFilippo, who will work alongside Jim Zebrowski in coaching the quarterbacks. The move gives the Jayhawks another seasoned evaluator in the room, and it comes with a resume built on years of NFL and college experience, including stops as an offensive coordinator and a Super Bowl ring as a quarterbacks coach.
For Kansas, the biggest practical benefit may show up on the practice field. Zebrowski now has the option to split the quarterback groups, which should let each player get more direct instruction and more individualized attention as the room works through camp and into the season. In a position group where every rep matters, adding that kind of experience can change the daily rhythm as much as the long-term outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Paul Mbiya Adds Another Twist To Kansas' Unsettled Center Rotation
Kansas center picture picked up another layer this week when Paul Mbiya was reclassified as a junior under the NCAAs updated international eligibility model. The change comes after the governing body began weighing age and prior professional experience more directly for athletes who arrive from overseas, and Mbiyas background in France before coming to Lawrence fit into that process.
For Kansas, the label itself may not alter much right away in terms of remaining eligibility, but it does add another wrinkle to a rotation already trying to find its footing in the middle. Mbiyas new standing is a reminder that the Jayhawks big-man situation is still being shaped by both roster construction and the evolving rules that govern international players. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces New Doubt In The Jaxon Kohler Chase
Kansas has been working the transfer and recruiting lanes with a clear need up front after losing Flory Bidunga and with Christian Reeves still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery for a torn labrum. That has kept the Jayhawks in the mix for Jaxon Kohler, a frontcourt target who had also been weighing BYU, Kentucky and Michigan State while Kansas looked for more size and stability inside.
Louisville has now entered the picture as another potential destination, adding a fresh layer of uncertainty to a chase that already carried one major caveat. Kohlers eligibility for the 2026-27 season is still unresolved because of NCAA eligibility rulings, so even as the list of suitors grows, the long-term answer for Kansas remains far from settled. [Read more 🡒]