Phil Steele’s latest preseason read on Kansas football isn’t a flattering one.
In his 2026 preview magazine, the longtime college football analyst has the Jayhawks slotted in a tie for 12th in the Big 12, alongside Baylor and Oklahoma State. Only Colorado and Iowa State are projected below them, which makes for a bleak early outlook for a Kansas team that has missed bowl eligibility in each of the past two seasons.
A big part of Steele’s skepticism comes down to the schedule and the turnover. Kansas lost longtime quarterback Jalon Daniels, and Steele highlighted the challenge waiting ahead: the Border Showdown against Missouri, an early trip to London to face Arizona State, and five Big 12 road games.
“This year, they have just five returning starters on each side of the ball and lose Daniels,” he wrote. “They add RB Dylan Edwards from rival K-State but have to deal with a trip to London and have five Big 12 road games on top of it!”
Kansas also didn’t get much love in Steele’s preseason All-Big 12 selections. Linebacker Trey Lathan was the only Jayhawk to land on the second team. Wide receiver Nik McMillan and defensive end Leroy Harris III were placed on Steele’s fourth team.
Steele’s projected depth chart also offers a glimpse at how he sees the quarterback race. He lists redshirt junior Cole Ballard as the starter over Isaiah Marshall and Chase Jenkins, a call that lines up with recent reports suggesting Ballard is the favorite.
Still, Steele isn’t writing Kansas off completely. He says eight of his nine projection models have the Jayhawks reaching bowl eligibility, and he notes that the team was only a few plays away from winning seven or eight games over the past two seasons.
For Kansas, though, the patience meter is running low. The Jayhawks are looking for actual results in 2026, not another round of near-misses and “what ifs.”
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