SOTC Update: Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks couldn't overcome a slow start to '24 and now need to replace a lot of talent. Jalon Daniels is back, and with a host of new faces, the Jayhawks look to get back to their winning ways.
Kansas Jayhawks
State of the Chart™ Recap Edition
Live All-In Ranking: 36th
Offense: 23rd
Defense: 64th
2024 Results: 5-7 (4-5 in Big XII)
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|||||| STATE OF THE CHART™ SUMMARY
Lance Leipold hasn’t suffered through many losing seasons, at least not after being established at a program. Following a 9-4 season in 2023, this was a bit unexpected. It came about due to a slow start when their all-world quarterback returned from injury but made too many costly mistakes. They found themselves at 1-6 heading into their first bye. They couldn’t overcome that slow start but rallied late, as Jalon Daniels found his footing and led them to three straight conference wins. They had a chance to complete the rally to get into a bowl game in the final week of the regular season but fell to Baylor. This was a missed opportunity with a veteran team coming back. They were unfortunate and deserved better, but that 5-7 season is etched in the record books. They will get another shot with Daniels under/behind center in 2025, as they utilized NIL dollars to keep him around. However, the talent level around him is going to be diminished. Can Leipold and both new coordinators get things on track with many new faces coming in from the portal? They have a couple of games to get acclimated as they have a down Fresno State game (that should not be taken lightly) and FCS Wagner before their renewal of the ‘Border War’ rivalry with Mizzou. Then it’s on. The Big XII slate likely features a bunch of single-digit spreads and close games. If they can get the bounces, stay healthy, and reverse the luck factor in 2025, Leipold can get back on the right side of the .500 mark as they open up their newly renovated Memorial Stadium.
|||||| HEAD COACH AND COACHING STAFF
After owning the Division III level and building Buffalo into a winner, Lance Leipold took this Kansas job when the program was in the tank. He's built them back up to a high of nine wins in 2023. While 2024 was a letdown, the talent level is there, and the program is in good shape. He'll need to replace both coordinators again in 2025, but he has the resources to get it back to that high level and back in the mix in the Big XII.
Coaching Staff Notes/Changes:
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes has moved on to Wisconsin in the same role. This is the second consecutive year that Leopold must replace his offensive play-caller, and, again, he does so from within the organization with Jim Zebrowski getting the promotion.
To ensure he can continue to breed offensive coordinators in waiting, Leopold brings back Matt Lubick after spending one season at Nevada as their offensive coordinator. He’s named co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. He was at KU as a Sr. Analyst in 2022-23.
Brian Borland announced his retirement from the game after spending the last four season in charge of the Jayhawks defense. Again, Leopold promotes from within by elevating D.K. McDonald to the role. McDonald joined the Jayhawks in 2021 as co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach.
To replace McDonald’s role as defensive backs coach it’s Brandon Shelby, who was promoted from defensive analyst after a long run as Indiana’s cornerbacks coach from 2011-23.
Note: This is a “dynamic” article; meaning we will update any information that comes in this “off-season” and post a note when impactful moves are made or news breaks.
|||||| 2024 SCHEDULE / RESULTS ANALYSIS
A slow start cost them and they never fully recovered from it. This was no cake walk schedule as they played Illinois on the road and a tough UNLV team in non-conference play. The dropped them both, but the UNLV game was a mirage and one they really should have won. They also drew the two Big XII Championship game contenders with Arizona State and Iowa State. The loss at West Virginia is another one that got away from them. Add the Kansas State game to that mix in week nine. They finished strong with wins over the Cyclones, at BYU and Colorado. They had a chance to get bowl eligible but it all fell apart against a surging Baylor team in Waco in the final week of the season. We mentioned some games they should have won and our deserved wins (dWIN) metric has them as a 7.5 win team, rather than the five that they posted.
||||||| POSITION GROUP CHECK-INS
OFFENSE: Jeff Grimes took over the play-calling from Andy Kotelnicki, who left for Penn State after the 2023 season. The Jayhawks didn’t miss a beat. Led by their dynamic quarterback Jalon Daniels, who returned from injury and, after dealing with some decision-making issues with six interceptions in the first three games, was back to normal. They are a slow-it-down, run-heavy scheme that relies on a big, physical offensive line to set the tone. They will then take the necessary shots downfield to capitalize. That offensive line came in a #7 in our pure talent ratings and led the way to 211.4 yards per game (13th) and 5.52 yards per attempt (11th) in FBS. They certainly had a stable of talented backs to take advantage of, with Devin Neal emerging as a star and running for over 1,200 yards and 16 scores in 2024. When that run game was established, Daniels averaged 8.2 yards per attempt, again finding the right opportunities to strike downfield. That line only allowed ten sacks all season; helped by Daniels’ athleticism to avoid pressure. Make no mistake, though, it was not easy to penetrate this front line of the Jayhawks as opponents managed just 47 tackles for loss (10th in FBS). Grimes also seemed to dial the right plays, and the execution was there on third down, converting 51% of them — the second-highest rate of all FBS teams. Grimes moves on, marking the second consecutive year that the play-caller has left for a new job, and Leopold reacts the same way by promoting from within and elevating Jim Zebrowski to the role. Daniels is back, as they used that NIL money to keep him around, and this offense should continue humming in 2025.
||| QB
Jalon Daniels returned from injury and had a bout with his decision-making early on, tossing too many costly interceptions. As the year went on, he got better and better, eventually returning this offense to its high level. He reached a ‘deal’ to return for 2025 and should continue to utilize his legs to extend/make plays and deliver crushing blows in the passing game when the time is right. Cole Ballard should remain second in the depth chart.
||| RB
Devin Neal became a star here, running for over 1,260 yards and 16 touchdowns as the bellcow in a run-heavy offense. He set the tone for the offense and will be sorely missed. However, Daniel Hishaw Jr., when healthy, has shown flashes of Neal-like capability. They bring in Leshon Williams from Iowa, who is certainly talented, but fell out of favor in Iowa City. Those two should lead the backfield in 2025 and produce. The depth behind them is unknown/questionable.
||| WR
This group was filled with the right mix of playmakers with Luke Grimm as the slot/underneath option, Quentin Skinner stretching the field and Lawrence Arnold filling the gaps. Those three all have run out of eligibility, as has next-in-line, Trevor Wilson. They have a rebuild here and they are going fishing in the FCS/G5 level to find that talent. Columbia transfer Bryson Canty and Ball State transfer Cam Pickett will be asked to step in and play a role. Swiss army knife Emmanuel Henderson Jr. is also in from Alabama and he just needs a shot. This group loses a lot and can’t be expected to live up to the ‘24 level.
||| TE
Jared Casey and Trevor Kardell teamed up to be what is needed from the tight end in this offense. Casey played over 500 snaps, and Kardell came in just under 400. They both chipped in with the occasional catch, but they weren’t a focus of the offense. Both were also solid run blockers, and each has now graduated. They hit the portal to bring Keyan Burnett from Arizona into this role. Leyton Cure did get just under 100 snaps and showed some blocking promise, so he’ll likely see a secondary role as well.
||| OL
This was quite the front line for the Jayhawks in 2024. They produce one surefire player on Sundays in RT Logan Brown (former 5-star via Wisconsin). They will lose their other starting tackle Bryce Cabeldue, who also played at a very high level. They get back center Bryce Foster and RG Koby Baynes, but the losses are glaring. They bring in a few via the portal, but it does not look like they will be able to retain this level in 2025 — at least at the start.
DEFENSE: This unit was about as average as it gets, with a glaring weakness in the secondary as opponents took them for 239.1 yards per game through the air — ranked 104th in FBS. That’s a bit worrisome as the talent level in that pass defense, according to our rotational talent rankings, had them sitting at 54th. Defensive coordinator Brian Borland just couldn’t quite get this group to come together as a unit and keep up with the offense. The profile suggests a big part of it was allowing too many third-down conversions (44.1% success rate for opponents). They held the run game in check, but that Achilles heel in the passing game cost them. They did a decent job keeping things in front and not allowing too many chunk plays and did seem to lock down better in the red zone, which is good, because this could look a lot worse had it not been for them holding down to 50% touchdown rate deep in their own territory. Borland retires after the season, and Leopold continues the trend of promotions from within — elevating co-DC and defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald to the role. They lose a ton of talent and his work is undoubtedly cut out for him in 2025.
||| DL
Dean Miller was the top performer in this group, alongside Jereme Robinson. Miller ended up with nine sacks, and Robinson managed five. D.J. Withers played a little less and got to the quarterback three times. This group also set the tone for the run-stopping ability. They lose Robinson but return Miller and Withers to set a good base. They bring in a trio of SEC transfers in Justice Finkley (Texas), Gage Keys (Auburn), and Caleb Redd (Kentucky). All need more playing time and could develop into an excellent front line.
||| LB
JB Brown was all over the field for this corps. He was well-rounded in both run-stopping ability and rushing the passer. He will be sorely missed. Cornell Wheeler was another primary player who is out of eligibility but wasn’t as impact of a player. Taiwan Berryhill Jr. played about half the time and was below average. They are all out of eligibility, and this is a rebuild. Bangally Kamara comes in from South Carolina and was one of the first portal commitments of the season. He will join Jayson Gilliom on the current roster, and fellow transfers Joseph Sipp Jr. (Bowling Green) and Trey Lathan (West Virginia) in the battle for playing time. The hope is that Sipp follows in the footsteps of Brown, who was also a Bowling Green transfer.
||| DB
This secondary was exposed, which is surprising considering their talent level, including two NFL-caliber cornerbacks, Mello Dotson and Cobee Bryant. They are both headed there next year. They also will lose their starting safeties, O.J. Burroughs and Marvin Grant. They hit the portal hard to get former 4-star CB Jahlil Hurley from Alabama and S Lyrik Rawls from Oklahoma State. Other transfers will mix in with some returners looking for more opportunities. If this comes together, it would be a feather in the cap of DC/DB coach D.K. McDonald.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Tabor Allen was a decent place kicker but they didn’t trust him completely. They hit the portal and get the top available with Laith Marjan coming in from South Alabama. Damon Greaves was a serviceable punter, but he transfers out to Colorado. Finn Lappin is in from Murray State and is most likely to take over the job. Trevor Wilson and Luke Grimm handled the punt return duties. Both depart, so they’ll need to identify new playmakers in that role.
Reader feedback is requested and encouraged! Who knows these teams better than their passionate fan bases? We don’t pretend to know it all and would love your feedback. We will update/edit based (and credit) for anything that is brought to our attention. Let’s do this together…
|||||| TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER
The staff knew that there was a lot of talent on this roster running out of eligibility and started this process early. They need to supplement in the portal as they just can’t possibly keep up with internal development. They also did a nice job keeping a lot of their current roster from transferring out — the most notable loss a solid backup running back (Sevion Morrison). Overall, this is what the roster needs to avoid losing more ground to their Big XII counterparts.
Below is a screen shot of the full, live Transfer Portal Tracker over at CFBDepth.com. Click the image or the button below to view it in its entirety…
|||||| 2025 RECRUITING CLASS
Nothing really jumps off the page here. They get in one 4-star recruit and a couple of high 3-star running backs, but the ranking of 86th in the nation (at this point) has them behind quite a few group of five schools. Leipold rarely puts up highly-ranked classes and still seems to win games. So, the player development is there — and that’s more important at this stage. That, and working the portal as they have done this off-season.
Here is a snapshot of the 2025 Recruiting Class+ with a link to the live page with updates throughout the cycle:
|||||| 2025 SCHEDULE LOOK AHEAD
This looks very similar to the 2024 version of the slate by difficulty measures. They do renew a rivalry with Mizzou and that first one is in Columbia. That will be a tough non-conference game early on. Then, the Big XII slate presents plenty of challenges, but also are all winnable games if things break right.
There is a lot of movement and decisions to be made throughout the off-season, including more portal moves, winter workouts and spring ball. Get all caught up with the full-on State of the Chart Magazine coming in July. If you missed the ad before, get more information and give us your e-mail to stay in the loop on everything SOTC!
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State of the Chart™ Recap Edition Links & Schedule
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
2/1: Alabama Crimson Tide
2/3: Georgia Bulldogs
2/4: LSU Tigers
2/5: Auburn Tigers
2/6: Arkansas Razorbacks
2/7: Florida Gators
2/8: Ole Miss Rebels
2/10: Tennessee Volunteers
2/11: Missouri Tigers
2/12: Texas A&M Aggies
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2/14: Texas Longhorns
2/15: South Carolina Gamecocks
2/16: Vanderbilt Commodores
2/17: Mississippi State Bulldogs
2/18: Kentucky Wildcats
Big Ten Conference
2/19: Ohio State Buckeyes
2/20: Michigan Wolverines
2/21: Penn State Nittany Lions
2/22: Indiana Hoosiers
2/23: Wisconsin Badgers
2/24: Northwestern Wildcats
2/25: Oregon Ducks
2/26: Nebraska Cornhuskers
2/27: Minnesota Golden Gophers
2/28: Iowa Hawkeyes
3/1: Michigan State Spartans
3/2: Maryland Terrapins
3/3: Purdue Boilermakers
3/4: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
3/5: Illinois Fighting Illini
3/6: Washington Huskies
3/7: USC Trojans
3/8: UCLA Bruins
Big 12 Conference
3/9: TCU Horned Frogs
3/10: Baylor Bears
3/11: Oklahoma State Cowboys
3/12: Kansas State Wildcats
3/13: West Virginia Mountaineers
3/14: Iowa State Cyclones
3/15: Texas Tech Red Raiders