Head Coach: Lance Leipold is entering his 4th year with the Jayhawks program. He has a 17-21 record, which doesn’t pop out at you until you realize they won 21 TOTAL games in the DECADE before he got here. It’s been awesome to see what he has done in the short time he’s been here and you better believe the Jayhawks will use all resources necessary to keep him here for a long time.
Program Outlook: It’s an exciting time for Jayhawks fans. After years of suffering at the bottom of the conference, Leipold has turned the Jayhawks into a contender in just a short time. No longer are the desperate for any win they can get, their fans can now expect wins and with the new system, they can even start to dream about making the playoff!
How does the 2024 Roster look?: The Jayhawks return some key contributors but everything really hinges on QB Jalon Daniels, he is one of the most electric playmakers in the sport, but injuries have hampered him the last couple years. He missed time in the back half of 2022 and last year he was suddenly ruled out minutes before kickoff against Texas with a back issue and was never seen again. Hopefully this is the year we get Jalon Daniels for the full season, not just because he’s awesome to watch but also because the Mean Bean Machine is no longer around to back him up. Their stud RB Devin Neal is back to lead a great group of skill players. The biggest concerns for the offense will be the offensive line and departure of Andy Kotelnicki. Jeff Grimes comes over after a challenging era at Baylor but he’s had success at other stops, Kansas also promoted Jim Zebrowski to co-OC as a way of maintaining scheme continuity while having Grimes supposedly call the plays. The main reason Kansas was able to improve from 6 to 9 wins last season was the defense stepped up, they got a lot better at stopping opposing teams…at least most of the time. If opponents got a drive going against the Jayhawks chances are they scored because Kansas made only one red zone stop all last year, at least that one red zone stop was the best one, it was a critical stop that helped them pick up their biggest win of the year over Oklahoma. There’s no reason they can’t improve, they’ve gotten deep up front and an awesome secondary led by corners Cobee Bryant and Mellow Dotson.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is very favorable and on the surface only the road game at rival Kansas State poses a big challenge. There’s more than meets the eye, however, a lot of tricky games await. There’s some potentially problematic road trips here, West Virginia and BYU are always tough places to play, BYU in particular was a different team at home compared to on the road. Then there’s a trip to Arizona State, not much is expected of the Sun Devils but the trip to Tempe can be hazardous to programs who aren’t used to it, and Kansas hasn’t played a true road game in the state since 1966. It’s hard to tell what to expect of Illinois but that non-conference game could be tough if Bret Bielema regains momentum there, they also play UNLV in a Guaranteed Rate Bowl rematch and the Rebels will also be good once again. Keep in mind also that Kansas won’t have any true home games this season, either playing their “home” games at Arrowhead stadium or the soccer stadium in the Kansas City. Yes, technically Kansas is playing all their home games in Missouri this year and their only game in their actual state is at Kansas State, stadium construction can make things weird.
Vegas Projection: Kansas’ win total is set at 8.5 with the odds geared toward the under. Vegas seems rather concerned about some of the road trips. This is an over I’ve got my eye on.
2024 Best Case: The Jayhawks get a healthy Daniels for the full season and they’re ready to rock. Their offense doesn’t look different at all and they have opposing defenses in a blender to open the season as they roll past Lindenwood, Illinois and UNLV. The Jayhawks are tested at West Virginia but manage to pull off the victory and that allows them to carry an undefeated record into the Sunflower Showdown. It’s an epic back and forth battle but Daniels leads the offense to a late score and then Cobee Bryant picks off Avery Johnson to seal a massive victory. Kansas avoids letdowns along the way but an unexpected showdown comes late in the year. Yes, Coach Prime has the Buffs rolling after all and GameDay comes to Arrowhead to see them take on the undefeated Jayhawks. However Daniels steals center stage and the Jayhawks roll to victory. Daniels finishes with a near perfect performance against Baylor and then leads Kansas over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship to not only give the Jayhawks a playoff birth but Daniels wins the Heisman. Kansas gets a bye in the playoff and a seed opposite Georgia which they take advantage of, rolling to the National Championship game before they finally have to face the Bulldogs. The run ends there but suddenly Kansas is a force to be reckoned with in football.
2024 Worst Case: The offense without Kotelnicki just isn’t the same and the defense capsizes in a disappointing season. It becomes clear right away that something is wrong when Kansas is stunned by Illinois in Champaign, outscored by UNLV the following week and beaten by West Virginia. In this competitive league any drop off can really destroy your season. Kansas ends up an extremely disappointing 3-9 including a loss to Kansas State who makes a surprise run to the national championship game. The disappointing season doesn’t deter programs from Leipold as he bolts for the Big Ten. Suddenly Kansas is back where they started.
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