College Football Preview 2025: Kansas Jayhawks

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2024 Recap

In 2022 and 2023, Lance Leipold led Kansas to its first bowl games since 2008. He was being discussed as one of the best coaches in college football for turning around what was arguably the Power Five’s worst program.

After entering 2024 as the No. 22 team in the preseason AP poll, the Jayhawks ended up missing a bowl game with a 5-7 record. That was through no fault of their offense, as Kansas fielded the sixth-highest-graded unit in college football (86.9). The Jayhawks’ defense, meanwhile, placed outside the top 100 units in EPA allowed per play. Kansas still has plenty of concerns on that side of the ball, so it may be up to quarterback Jalon Daniels to carry the program back to a bowl game.

Biggest Strength: A quarterback with a lot of potential

Jalon Daniels was a bit of a rollercoaster in 2024, but the highs were very high. His 7.1% big-time throw rate tied with Jaxson Dart, a 2025 first-round draft pick, for the second-best clip in the Power Four. His 27 forced missed tackles on the ground were the fourth most among Big 12 signal-callers. 

Biggest Weakness: A bad defense that may have gotten worse

Kansas’ defense held the team back from making a bowl game in 2024, and it doesn’t look like the Jayhawks improved much on that side of the ball. In fact, they may have taken a step backward after losing their three best defenders: cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson and linebacker JB Brown.

Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions

• C Tyler Mercer (North Texas): 67.2 PFF Grade
• LB Bangally Kamara (South Carolina): 84.0 PFF Grade
• CB D.J. Graham II (Utah State): 67.6 PFF Grade

Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses

• EDGE DJ Warner (SMU): 52.4 PFF Grade
• EDGE Bai Jobe (Miami (OH)): 63.3 PFF Grade
• CB Damarius McGhee (Florida Atlantic): 57.6 PFF Grade

Quarterback Spotlight: Jalon Daniels

• 2024 Grade: 77.6
• Key Stat: 7.1% big-time throw rate (highest in FBS, min. 300 dropbacks)

Overview: On one hand, it was great to see Daniels play an entire season for the first time in 2024. On the other, his frustrating high-risk,high-reward play style cost the Jayhawks a chance to play in a bowl game. The talented Daniels returns for a sixth year of college football with the same program, a rarity in today’s environment. The Jayhawks will hope he can improve his habits, particularly late in games.

Strengths: For a player who measures in at just 6 feet tall, Daniels has all the physical tools to succeed. His powerful arm allows him to take deep shots from the pocket and on the move. His 7.1% big-time throw rate last season was the highest among quarterbacks with at least 300 dropbacks. He also set career highs with 19 explosive runs and 27 missed tackles forced on the ground last season across just 95 carries. When Daniels gets hot, few college quarterbacks are better.

Weaknesses: Daniels’ main flaws last season were ball security and a tendency to take too many shots downfield. He committed 15 turnover-worthy plays last season, and several were a product of his trying to hit home runs that weren’t there. His 12.4-yard average depth of target was a career high by a wide margin — and the highest of any qualified Power Four quarterback last season. Daniels would be wise to work the ball closer to the line of scrimmage to avoid such wide outcome swings.

Offensive Player Spotlight: C Bryce Foster

Foster was the Big 12’s highest-graded center in 2024, leading the way with a 75.5 PFF overall grade. The Texas A&M transfer also led the conference with a 73.6 PFF run-blocking grade, and he didn’t allow a sack across his 336 pass-blocking snaps. As if dominating on the gridiron wasn’t enough, Foster was also named a second-team All-American in shot put on the Jayhawks’ track team this past season.

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Defensive Player Spotlight: LB Bangally Kamara

Kamara played in just four games for South Carolina this past season before sitting out the rest of the year with an injury. He still flashed on his 70 snaps for the Gamecocks with a 90.0 PFF run-defense grade. Kamara was a solid starter for Pittsburgh in 2023, with his six quarterback hits tying for the fifth most among ACC linebackers. He’s an athletic player who earned 65.0-plus PFF grades as a run defender, a pass rusher and in coverage for the Panthers in 2023.

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Bottom Line

If Jalon Daniels can cut out the head-scratching mistakes in his game, Kansas can get back to a bowl game despite a concerning defense. If he’s still inconsistent, the Jayhawks will likely miss out on the postseason once again.

This news was originally published on this post .