Kansas had to reach for help in the backfield, and the timing says plenty about where the Jayhawks are right now.
With injuries piling up and the offense stuck in neutral, Kansas added running back Chase Belcher to the roster after its 24-17 loss to Arizona State. Head coach Lance Leipold confirmed the move during his weekly press conference on Monday, alongside the addition of defensive tackle Clifton Thompson.
“Both young men got in this weekend, going through the activation periods that are gonna be needed,” opened Leipold during the news-packed 20-minute presser on Monday.
“…When the opportunity by rule and roster slots presented itself, we decided to make this move…As I talked to them, there's no guarantees in this. We expect you to do what everyone else does, but, obviously, we hope that they can contribute in some way, as they progress here in the upcoming weeks.”
Belcher arrives from Kennesaw State, where he played one season for a 10-4 Conference USA team in 2025. He carried the ball 107 times for 566 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching 13 passes for 194 yards and two more scores.
Before that, Belcher spent the 2024 season at West Georgia, rushing for 240 yards and three touchdowns and totaling 422 all-purpose yards. In 2023, he suited up for Northern Arizona and put up 336 rushing yards on 57 carries with three touchdowns, while adding 136 receiving yards on 18 catches and one score. He also threw for two touchdowns, completing 75% of his four attempts for 130 yards.
The move fits the reality Kansas is dealing with. Yasin Willis is expected to miss the rest of the season, and the Jayhawks have been dealing with injuries since the preseason. At 1-2, they’ve also beaten themselves in both losses, and the roster has already needed emergency reinforcement three games into the year.
Belcher may have arrived under unusual circumstances, but Kansas has reason to think he can matter. Returning offensive coordinator and associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki has built his best attacks around the run game, and Kansas has seen that formula work before. In 2022, the Jayhawks averaged 174.3 rushing yards per game, and in 2023 that number climbed to 202.8.
This season, through three games, Kansas is averaging 129.5 rushing yards per game. And the path ahead gets tougher fast. After Middle Tennessee, the Jayhawks enter an eight-game stretch against Big 12 opponents, which means the ground game will need to find another gear if Kansas wants to stay in the bowl picture.
In Other News...
Kansas Defensive Front Has Become An Early Surprise For One Reason
Kansas went into the season bracing for a dent on its defensive front when Tulane transfer TreVon McAlpine was ruled out, but the early returns have been encouraging anyway. Through the first three games, the Jayhawks have gotten noticeably better play up front, with the defense looking more disruptive and more steady than it did a year ago.
A big part of that change has come from the staff additions of Joe Dineen and Jim Panagos, whose impact is already showing in the way Kansas is attacking the line of scrimmage. The front has produced meaningful pressure and created more problems for opposing offenses, and even with McAlpine sidelined, the group has found enough answers to turn a preseason concern into one of the teams early bright spots. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Fans Are Starting To See A New Go-To Target Emerge
Kansas has spent the early part of the 2025 season sorting out a receiver room that looks very different from a year ago, and the transfer additions are already shaping the offense. With injuries thinning out other options, Nik McMillan and Nahzae Cox have stepped into heavier roles, giving Isaiah Marshall a pair of dependable targets as the Jayhawks work through the first month under returning offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki.
The passing game still has room to grow, especially with Kansas sitting near the middle of the pack nationally through three games, but the volume has ticked up from previous seasons and the new-look receiving corps is starting to settle in. McMillan has been the steady presence, while Cox has provided the more explosive threat, and that combination is beginning to give Kansas fans a clearer sense of where the ball is headed when the Jayhawks drop back. [Read more 🡒]
Jalon Daniels Suddenly Has A Huge NFL Chance With The Bucs
Jalon Daniels is suddenly getting the kind of opening most undrafted quarterbacks can only hope for when they sign their first NFL contract. After impressing in the preseason, the former Kansas star is now in line to run Tampa Bays offense against Green Bay as the Buccaneers navigate a shakeup at quarterback and look for someone ready to keep the ship steady.
The opportunity comes with real stakes, because the job is open at a time when the margin for error is thin and the spotlight will be bright. Tampa Bay will be watching Daniels closely when the game kicks off Oct. 4 on FOX, and what happens next could say plenty about whether his strong summer can carry over into a much bigger stage. [Read more 🡒]