In the Big 12 this season, Utah is the flashy newcomer that is projected to finish on top of the standings, while Kansas State and Oklahoma State are the established winning programs projected to contend for the title.
Kansas, however, can’t be overlooked. The Jayhawks have finally tasted winning, and the tools to make a run at a Big 12 title are there.
This summer, BuffZone will preview each of Colorado’s opponents for the 2024 season and in this installment we look at Kansas, which will host the Buffs in Kansas City, Mo., on Nov. 23.
Last season, head coach Lance Leipold led KU to a 9-4 record, its first winning season since 2008. It was a dramatic change from the past. From 2009-21, the Jayhawks went 8-106 in Big 12 play. Then in 2022, KU snapped a 14-year bowl drought and got even better last year.
Leipold’s quick turnaround in Lawrence has been remarkable, considering the Jayhawks’ previous four head coaches all failed to win even four games in a season.
“What we said we were going to do with them in just the day-to-day operations, we did, and I think that started to build the trust and we started to build confidence,” Leipold said in an interview with On3 this spring.
Leipold has been at the forefront of building that confidence, but the Jayhawks have talent, too.
Offensively, KU was last in the Big 12 in scoring in 2021 (20.8 points per game), but second in 2022 (35.6) and fourth in 2023 (34.8).
Much of the 2022 success was led by star quarterback Jalon Daniels, but he missed 10 games in 2023 and the Jayhawks still produced. Daniels is healthy again, leading what should be an explosive attack.
“He’s throwing, he’s throwing it deep, throwing it all over,” Leipold said after the spring showcase in April. “He’s got a great attitude.”
Daniels has a stacked receiver group to catch his passes and one of the Big 12’s best running backs in Devin Neal.
The key to the offense could be how the offensive line comes together. Only two starters are back, but the Jayhawks filled some holes through the transfer portal.
“I think we’re finding some answers up front with the departures that we’ve had,” Leipold said in the spring.
Defensively, KU was solid last year, giving up 26.5 points per game, the lowest average for the program since 2007, but there are holes to fill.
The secondary could be as good as any in the Big 12, led by All-Big 12 cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson. Safety Marvin Grant is also a returning starter.
In the spring, Leipold said he’s liking the depth at defensive tackle, but the Jayhawks need players to step up on the edge. They’ll also lean on some experience at linebacker, led by junior JB Brown (57 tackles, six tackles for loss in 2023), but have to get others to fill bigger roles.
As a whole, this is a big opportunity for Kansas, which is loaded with experienced veterans and more than 30 seniors.
“This will be the largest senior class I’ve ever been a part of,” Leipold told On3.
The schedule sets up well, too. KU was picked to finish fourth in the conference and of the other four teams in the top five, just one is on the Jayhawks’ schedule: they’ll visit rival Kansas State on Oct. 26. They don’t have to face Utah, Oklahoma State or Arizona.
Leipold believes his team is equipped to handle success and expectations as they aim for their first conference title since 1968.
“I think, overall, confidence is as good as it’s been,” he said in the spring. “I do think this group is understanding, even maybe more than we did at the beginning of the spring, of we still have to go out each and every day and work hard and the target has going to be a little bit different than it ever has been before for these guys in their college career.”
Kansas Jayhawks
Head coach: Lance Leipold, 4th season (17-21; 163-60 career)
2023 season: 9-4, 5-4 Big 12; beat UNLV in Guaranteed Rate Bowl
Series with CU: Buffs lead 42-25-3
The Game
Who: Colorado Buffaloes at Kansas Jayhawks
When: Saturday, Nov. 23, time TBA
Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
5 Guys to Watch
WR Lawrence Arnold: A top receiver for the Jayhawks the last two years, he was All-Big 12 honorable mention last year when he caught 44 passes for 782 yards and six touchdowns. Also caught 44 passes in 2022 and has 121 receptions for 1,859 yards and 13 touchdowns in his career.
CB Cobee Bryant: First-team All-Big 12 in 2022 and 2023, he’s one of the better corners in the country. Bryant had 32 tackles, four interceptions and five pass breakups last year, while adding five tackles for loss.
QB Jalon Daniels: Extremely talented when healthy, he’s made 21 career starts, but has also missed 14 of 26 games the last two seasons. He’s thrown for 4,297 yards, 31 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in his career, while rushing for 600 yards and 13 touchdowns.
CB Mello Dotson: Along with Bryant, he was named preseason All-Big 12 by the media. He earned honorable mention honors last season after posting 48 tackles, four interceptions and 11 pass breakups. His 15 total passes defended tied for second in the conference. He also had three tackles for loss.
RB Devin Neal: Earned second-team All-Big 12 honors last year after rushing for 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns. A two-time 1,000-yard rusher, he’s racked up 3,077 yards and 33 touchdowns in three seasons with the Jayhawks, while also catching 53 career passes.
Good to know
• CU and Kansas played every year from 1948-2010 as conference rivals in the Big Seven (1948-57), Big Eight (1958-1995) and Big 12 (1996-2010). The Jayhawks have won four of the last five meetings, including a 52-45 victory in the most recent matchup, on Nov. 6, 2010.
• David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence in undergoing a $448 million renovation, so the Jayhawks won’t play home games there this season. Instead, KU’s two non-conference games will be played at Children’s Mercy Park (home of the MLS team Sporting Kansas City), while the other four will be at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs).
• Jeff Grimes was hired in the offseason as the new offensive coordinator. A former Colorado assistant (2007-08), Grimes was the OC at Baylor from 2021-23 and at BYU from 2018-20.
• Brian Borland returns for his fourth season as the defensive coordinator. He has worked with Leipold since 2007 as his DC at Wisconsin-Whitewater (2007-14), Buffalo (2015-20) and Kansas.
• Punter Damon Greaves is back. He averaged just 39.0 yards per punt, but only two his 32 punts were returned, for a net of minus-6 yards.
• Junior Owen Piepergerdes takes over as the starting kicker. He’s 15-for-15 in his career on extra points and 1-for-2 on field goals.
Portal movement
The Jayhawks lost 13 players to the transfer portal, but the only significant departure was Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Texas A&M), a 12-game starter last year on the offensive line (11 at guard, one at tackle). Defensive lineman Gage Keys (Auburn), receiver Tanaka Scott (North Alabama) and offensive lineman Spencer Lovell (Nevada) were also contributors. The most important addition of the offseason is former Texas A&M center Bryce Foster, who started all 28 games in which he played in three seasons (including 12 last year), while earning freshman All-American honors in 2021. Three other linemen were added for depth: Shane Bumgardner (Tiffin), Amir Herring (Michigan) and Darrell Simmons (Iowa State). Bumgardner was named the top center in Division II last year. Defensive lineman Javier Derritt (North Dakota State), edge Dylan Wudke (Youngstown State) and safety Devin Dye (Utah State) should be contributors on defense.
