Kansas will walk back into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday morning with a full house waiting.
The Jayhawks’ matchup with Middle Tennessee, set for Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. CT, is sold out, according to Kansas Athletics’ ticketing site.
It also marks Family Weekend at KU, turning the first home game in more than two weeks into one of the biggest events on campus. KU’s Office of Family Engagement lists the Middle Tennessee contest as the 2026 Family Weekend football game.
It’s also a first in program history. Kansas and Middle Tennessee have never met before, and the timing gives the game a little extra weight as the Jayhawks try to reset after a rocky stretch.
Kansas is 1-2 after a 24-17 loss to Arizona State in the inaugural Union Jack Classic at Wembley Stadium in London. The Jayhawks had an open week after that trip, and now they return home for the first time since falling to Missouri 38-21 on Sept. 11.
Isaiah Marshall will make his fourth career start for Kansas. In the first three games, he has thrown for 649 yards and five touchdowns and added 124 rushing yards. Nik McMillan has quickly become his favorite option, catching 12 passes for 226 yards and two scores.
The defense has given Kansas a foundation to work with, too. Through three games, the Jayhawks are allowing 281 yards per game, and they held Arizona State to 228 total yards in London.
Middle Tennessee comes in at 2-2 after a loss to Jacksonville State last weekend. The Blue Raiders are averaging 26 points per game and lean on quarterback Roman Gagliano and running back Antonio Martin Jr. to drive the offense.
With Family Weekend in full swing and the ticket allotment gone, Kansas should get the kind of home setting it wanted for its return to Lawrence. The Jayhawks will try to make the most of it.
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Tre Whites Return Just Changed Kansas Biggest Lineup Debate
Tre White is back with Kansas basketball after being granted a preliminary injunction in an Indiana lawsuit, and his return has already nudged one of Bill Selfs most interesting early-season questions back to the front of the room. White gives the Jayhawks another perimeter option, which opens the door to some smaller, more interchangeable looks if the roster develops that way.
Self said the staff will spend the season sorting through different lineup combinations based on eligibility and how the pieces fit together, and he acknowledged that a small-ball approach would come with the usual tradeoff around rebounding and physicality. For Kansas, the bigger issue now is not whether White can help, but how his presence reshapes the rest of a roster that may have to be managed game by game. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Self Just Sent Kansas Expectations Even Higher
Kansas already had a strong-looking future, and Bill Self just added another major piece to it with the commitment of Tyran Stokes. The Rainier Beach standout arrives with the kind of reputation that turns a recruiting win into a program statement, especially after a senior season that showed he can do a little bit of everything while leading his team to a state championship.
Selfs praise centered on the same qualities that make Stokes such a dangerous addition for the Jayhawks: scoring, rebounding, passing and defense. For Kansas, the fit goes beyond talent. It is another sign that Self can still land elite prospects who raise the ceiling of what this roster can become, even before the next chapter in Lawrence fully begins. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Returns Home Needing A Much Cleaner Performance
Kansas gets back to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium this weekend looking for a cleaner performance after a rocky start to the season. The Jayhawks are 1-2 and will be trying to steady things against a Middle Tennessee team that arrives at 2-2, giving Kansas a home test that carries a little more weight than a typical nonconference reset.
The setting should help, with the game landing during Family Weekend and a late morning start that will put the spotlight on Lawrence early. For Kansas, the bigger question is whether home field can help produce a more controlled effort and keep the pressure from building as the schedule moves forward, while fans watching on ESPNU will be looking for signs that the Jayhawks are ready to settle in. [Read more 🡒]