Kansas walked into the 2026 season feeling good about its running back room. Two games later, Lance Leipold is dealing with a very different reality.
The Jayhawks are already missing Justin Thurman because of an injury, and freshman Kory Amachree was expected to be out for an extended stretch. Then Saturday’s 24-17 loss to Arizona State in London brought another setback when Yasin Willis couldn’t finish the game.
Willis, one of Kansas’ two co-starting running backs alongside Dylan Edwards, had given the Jayhawks a physical edge in the backfield and was supposed to be a major piece of the offense. Against the Sun Devils, he ran eight times for 35 yards before leaving and spending the second half on the sideline in a walking boot.
Leipold didn’t have a timeline for his status.
“I’m not sure, I just thought he’s out for the day, not how long he’s going to be out,” Leipold said. “But, yeah, it’s highly concerning right now.”
The problem goes beyond Willis. Kansas was also managing an injury to Jalen Dupree, who wasn’t fully available in the days leading up to the game. That forced the Jayhawks to lean on walk-on Micah Johnson, who saw nine snaps and got two carries against Arizona State.
Leipold didn’t hide the fact that the staff may need to improvise if the position keeps taking hits.
“Look at the waiver wire? I don’t know,” Leipold joked.
“We had some guys - Jalen Dupree hasn’t been healthy, got nicked up in practice the other day. He wasn’t really available to do much the last four days of practice.”
Johnson is still in the mix, but the bigger issue is simple: Kansas is short on healthy bodies.
“We’re down guys there right now, can’t do much about it, but we have to be creative and see where it takes us,” Leipold said.
Even with Willis out, Edwards gave Kansas a boost. He turned 18 carries into 89 yards, giving the Jayhawks a steady option on the ground. The one blemish came when he lost a fumble, though Leipold still came away impressed.
“Unfortunately he’s a pretty down guy because of the fumble, but I thought Dylan competed extremely well and had his best day for us so far,” Leipold said.
Kansas now gets a bye week before returning Oct. 3 against Middle Tennessee. That break gives Willis, Dupree and the other injured backs a chance to recover, and it gives Leipold and his staff time to figure out how to keep the run game moving with a depth chart that suddenly looks a lot thinner.
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