Kansas is running out of healthy bodies, and the timing of the bye week could hardly be more useful.
Three games into the 2026 season, the Jayhawks are already dealing with a long injury list. It started when Daveon “Bam” Crouch went down on the second drive against LIU in Week 1, and it only got worse last weekend in the Union Jack Classic against Arizona State, when Yasin Willis was injured. In between, Kansas also lost backup quarterback Cole Ballard and tight end Carson Bruhn.
Wide receiver Cam Pickett has managed only two catches this season while working his way back from an injury, and defensive tackle Tre’Von McAlpine’s season-ending preseason injury is also part of the picture.
The most battered spot has been running back. Entering the Arizona State game, Jalen Dupree was listed as available on the last availability report, though that status was uncertain going in.
Backup Justin Thurman had already been ruled out, which left Kansas relying on Dylan Edwards, Willis and Micah Johnson. Then Willis went down against the Sun Devils, leaving Edwards and Johnson as the only two running backs who had logged meaningful minutes and remained fully healthy.
Kansas still ran for 179 yards on 41 carries in the 24-17 loss, a 4.4-yard average that was respectable enough on paper. But head coach Lance Leipold made it clear the depth situation is a real problem.
“Jalen Dupree hasn’t been healthy, got nicked up in practice the other day. He wasn't really available.
Didn't do much of the last four days of practice. Micah Johnson's there, you know, we're down on guys there right now,” Leipold said after the game.
The Jayhawks are averaging 129.5 rushing yards per game this season, which ranks 79th nationally.
“We can't do much about it, but you have to be creative and see where it takes us. But, yeah, I would be misleading you if I didn't say it was a concern right now.”
Quarterback Isaiah Marshall said he’s handled the constant turnover by trusting whoever is on the field.
“I feel like it's still next man up, you know, it sucks to lose those guys, but, I feel like the guys that stepped in, played great, Micah played great, Tate [Nagy], [Bryson] Hayes, so I still trusted those guys. It was a point in the game where I had no clue we had guys down. I just was out there playing, 'cause I trusted my teammates.”
As for whether this is the ideal time for a bye week, probably not.
Kansas would almost certainly prefer to keep playing before getting its break later, especially if that meant avoiding a nine-game stretch to close the season. But that option isn’t on the table.
Still, the bye does give Crouch, Pickett, Willis, Bruhn and the others two full weeks to recover before Big 12 play turns into the kind of grind Kansas is about to face.
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