88 Days: Reasons for Pessimism For Kansas Football in 2024

What are the things that could derail a successful Year 4 for the Jayhawks under Lance Leipold?

Oct 1, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks running back Daniel Hishaw Jr. (20) celebrates in the end zone after a touch down during the second quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas Jayhawks have had a lot of good things happen the last few years under head coach Lance Leipold, with a meteoric rise in Year 2 to qualify for a bowl game and the continuation of that success in Year 3. But despite the overall positives of the last few years, there are still plenty of things that can give even the most positive fans pause heading into Year 4. 

Injuries

It might be the state of the sport today, but the Jayhawks have not been able to go a full season without some key injuries to big contributors. That starts with the quarterback position, where Kansas has had to play their third string quarterback in each of the last three seasons. But it hasn’t just been the quarterback. Daniel Hishaw’s hip injury in 2022 against Iowa State restricted what the running game was able to do the rest of the season. Some key offensive line injuries shuffled up what had been a fairly stout line in both 2022 and 2023. The promise of the Kansas offense has been stifled in each of the last two seasons, and a repeat of that can cause some big issues.

And the defensive side of the ball hasn’t been immune. Cobee Bryant had a big injury in 2022 in Norman. Multiple defensive lineman, including Hayden Hatcher and Jereme Robinson, missed key games. And with a defense that already has an overall talent shortage and relies on big plays from their big playmakers, they can’t afford those stars to be missing thanks to injury. 

Transfer Portal Reliance

We talked yesterday about how well Leipold has worked the transfer portal, but the constant need to hit the portal for key positions is always a worry. Kansas has had to get multiple pass rushers through the portal in each of the last two seasons, and key coverage guys have been added to the team and gone on to play pivotal roles in each of those seasons. There is something to be said for identifying the type of guy you need and getting good ones, but all it will take one of these years is a couple of the four or five most important ones to not live up to expectations to completely derail what the defense is trying to do. 

Home Crowd Uncertainty

There is no denying that the Jayhawks got a huge boost the last two seasons from the environment in David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. There was no bigger example of that then the game against Oklahoma, where Kansas pulled off a huge upset in part thanks to a crowd that stayed through a severe thunderstorm. But with the renovations to the stadium and the move to Children’s Mercy Park and Arrowhead Stadium, the Jayhawks will be adjusting to the new dynamics of the crowd and two new venues. Thankfully they will have opponents that should allow them to handle a few hiccups while adjusting to those venues, but they won’t have the same familiarity that has served them well.