LAWRENCE, KS - The whispers are gone. For two years, Kansas football has been the Big 12’s favorite sleeper pick - the team analysts love to hype before it finds a way to crush your soul by October. But as the Jayhawks open fall camp, the narrative has flipped. This isn’t about potential anymore. This is about expectation.
Last season stung. A 5-7 record with a roster gutted by injuries left a bitter taste for every fan who watched double-digit fourth-quarter leads evaporate. But head coach Lance Leipold - the architect of the greatest turnaround in college football history - has reloaded. The portal haul is elite. The 2025 recruiting class is the program’s best in over a decade. And the schedule, while brutal, offers a clear path to six-plus wins.
Forget moral victories. The standard in Lawrence is a bowl game, plain and simple. With the lavish new $350 million Gateway District rising beyond the north end zone, the entire program now looks the part of a Power-2 operation. It’s time to play like it. This fall preview for KU football hoping for resurgence with new talent, new quarterback isn’t just a story; it’s the defining chapter of the Leipold era.
The New QB1: Keys to the Offense
The biggest storyline under the August lights is the quarterback battle. With Jalon Daniels’ exhausting, injury-plagued tenure officially in the rearview, the offense belongs to a new general. All spring, the buzz centered on sophomore Cole Ballard, who showed real moxie in limited relief duty last year. He has the elite wheels to run Andy Kotelnicki’s concept-heavy offense. But he knows the job isn’t handed to him.
Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene didn’t come to Kansas to hold a clipboard. The veteran has 30-plus career starts and brings a consistency Ballard hasn’t yet shown. Leipold loves this kind of friction. Iron sharpens iron, and this battle has pushed both players to raise their games.
📊 Cole Ballard: 8.4 yards per attempt in 2024 - The sophomore's deep-ball efficiency was elite in spot duty, suggesting the offense won't lose its explosive vertical element.
Keene’s polish is tempting, but the smart money is on Ballard taking the first snap against Wagner. His legs add a dynamic element that makes this offense incredibly tough to defend. The staff has already installed a package of designed quarterback runs - the "QB Power" and "Zone Read" looks that gave opposing coordinators nightmares during Daniels’ 2023 heyday. Expect the play-action game to open up once defenses respect Ballard’s speed. The keys are in his hands; now we see if he can drive the bus.
The Supporting Cast: New Weapons, Veteran Walls
While the QB battle grabs headlines, the real reason for optimism is the talent around him. The "next man up" mentality has never been stronger, with a blend of grizzled veterans and blue-chip newcomers ready to break out.
Table: 2025 Kansas Jayhawks - Key Skill Position Outlook
| Position | Starter (Projected) | Key Backup/Newcomer | 2024 Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| RB (RB1) | Sevion Morrison | Daniel Hishaw Jr. | Combined 700+ rush yards |
| WR (X) | Quentin Skinner | Dakotah Jones (4-star) | Skinner: 7 TDs |
| WR (Slot) | Lawrence Arnold | Fredrick Forbes (FR) | Arnold: 500+ yards |
| TE | Trevor Kardell | Jared Hanson | Kardell: 3 TDs |
Replacing Devin Neal is a committee job, and Sevion Morrison and Daniel Hishaw Jr. are the perfect bruising 1-2 punch. Morrison runs with violent intent. Hishaw, when healthy, is the most explosive home-run hitter on the roster. But the real injection of talent comes from the wideout room. Four-star freshman Dakotah Jones has been the talk of camp, his 4.4 speed stretching defenses both horizontally and vertically.
Yet the group that determines whether this team goes bowling is the offensive line. Anchored by future NFL mauler Kaelin Krouch at tackle, this unit is finally deep. Last year, injuries here derailed the whole season. Now, with Bryce Cabeldue and Michael Ford Jr. returning, they have the size and nastiness to bully Big 12 fronts.
