BYU football opponent preview - Kansas Jayhawks
BYU football opponent preview - Kansas Jayhawks
Matt Zemek, BYU Cougars WireWed, May 20, 2026 at 1:28 PM UTC
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BYU football opponent preview - Kansas Jayhawks
BYU football plays Kansas in the final stretch of its 2026 season. If the Cougars are in position to make the Big 12 Championship Game, a win over Kansas in November would take them one step closer to a central goal for the campaign. ESPN looked at the Jayhawks' offseason:
"Andy Kotelnicki is back in Lawrence. Kotelnicki, who served as Lance Leipold's offensive coordinator at three programs before spending the past two seasons at Penn State, returned to the staff and will call offensive plays. His title is associate head coach and he'll work closely with Jim Zebrowski, last year's OC, who returns as passing game coordinator. Kansas ranked 18th nationally in scoring during Kotelnicki's final two years as offensive coordinator.
"This was inevitably going to be a challenging offseason for the Jayhawks with 37 seniors graduating, including 22 who started games during the 2025 season. Gone is Daniels, their 45-game starter at quarterback over six seasons, and most of their offensive production from last season. Only two full-time starters -- offensive linemen Calvin Clements and Amir Herring -- are returning. Kansas is also replacing seven starters on defense between their departing seniors and safety Lyrik Rawls, who transferred to Arizona State. Given how many players they needed to sign in the portal, the staff opted to not seek out a starting QB, believing that a competition between Cole Ballard, Isaiah Marshall and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins was the right approach for 2026.
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"Getting Kansas' inconsistent defense fixed was a big focus in January, and the Jayhawks feel as if they've added the right player, particularly up front. They brought in Tre'von McAlpine (Tulane) and Santiago (Michigan State) to complement edge rusher Leroy Harris III and defensive tackle Blake Herold for what should be a much-improved D-line while also adding several more fifth-year seniors with starting experience on defense. Their new running back group of Edwards (Kansas State), Yasin Willis (Syracuse), Jalen Dupree (Colorado State) and Amachree should be fun to watch, and whomever starts at QB should benefit from the additions of receivers McMillan (Buffalo) and Nahzae Cox (Middle Tennessee)."
Kansas will be radically remaking its roster this season, but in November, younger players might have matured into much-improved performers. BYU will have the upper hand, but the Cougars will have to demonstrate their superiority instead of being overconfident.
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This article originally appeared on BYU Cougars Wire: BYU football must avoid tripping against Kansas in 2026 season
Source: “AOL Sports”
