If you have not watched the Kansas Jayhawks football team since head coach Lance Leipold was hired, you should know that a lot has changed. Currently, the Jayhawks are ranked at 24th in the country and have shown that they are able to beat the Longhorns on the road, as they did in 2021. Watch our Devon Messinger and Dylan DeRaud discuss their scouting report of the Kansas Jayhawks by watching the YouTube video above.
If you want to watch their reaction to last weekend’s 38-6 win over the Baylor Bears, click here.
DeRaud’s Scouting Report of the Kansas Offense:
The Kansas Jayhawks offense, led by head coach Lance Leipold and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, are making waves with their dynamic offense. Quarterback Jalon Daniels, with a 74.7% completion rate and 705 passing yards, is the engine driving this team, ranking second in the Big 12 in completion rate and yards per pass attempt at 9.4. The ground game is equally potent, with junior running back Devin Neal tallying 394 rushing yards and five touchdowns, making him one of the best in the conference. The receiving corps, including Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm, and Quentin Skinner, adds speed and height to the offense, while a rock-solid offensive line has created plenty of running lanes and time for plays to develop. Last season, the Jayhawks ranked second nationally in yards per play, showcasing their creativity and versatility, and with their current lineup, they appear poised to give the Texas defense a difficult test early in the season.
Messinger’s Scouting Report of the Kansas Defense:
At cornerback, Big 12 Preseason 1st team selection Cobee Bryant leads the way in the secondary, already accounting for two interceptions this season. Along with the junior defensive back, senior cornerback Kwinton Lassiter also has proven to have a knack for finding the football as he has also tallied two interceptions thus far. Defensively, that has been the name of the game for Kansas – creating turnovers. This year’s squad has created seven through four weeks of play, equal to how many the turnover-savvy Longhorns have forced. At the linebacker position, senior Rich Miller and junior JB Brown, (the latter of whom has been a key threat behind the line of scrimmage) have held it down for the 21st-ranked defense in the country. Lastly, inside, keep an eye on 6’6″ redshirt-sophomore Austin Booker and junior Jereme Robinson, who have been successful up front for the Jayhawks.
So far this season, the rush defense has been absolutely stellar for the Jayhawks, only allowing nine yards on the ground to BYU last weekend. As a result, the Longhorns will definitely have their work cut out for them in continuing their newfound success on the ground. Overall, this is an interesting bunch – especially now that Kansas has an influx of transfer talent, that has crept their way up among the leaders in college football.