All Sooners

Oklahoma Schedule Preview: Kansas Jayhawks

A new head coach will be in charge for the Jayhawks when the Sooners visit Lawrence at the end of October.

Ryan Chapman

When the Oklahoma Sooners head to Lawrence on Oct. 23, they’ll be squaring off against the new-look Kansas Jayhawks.

After off the field turmoil again embroiled a Kansas head coach, Les Miles was dismissed from the program in March due to harassment allegations from his days at LSU.

Athletic Director Jeff Long was shown the door as well for hiring Miles, ushering in a new era on campus in Lawrence.

Oklahoma Sooners 2021 Schedule

Again, the Jayhawks turned to an upstart head coach from Buffalo, hiring Lance Leipold after he went 37-33 in his six seasons in charge of the Bulls.

Unfortunately for Leipold, he inherits one of the worst rosters in football. Posting a record of 0-9, the cupboards are more than bare at Kansas.

Offensively, the Jayhawks will return their leading rusher Velton Gardner and their leading wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II.

Gardner carried the ball 72 times for 325 yards and two touchdowns in 2020.

Lassiter hauled in 43 passes for 458 yards and two scores, averaging 10.7 yards per reception.

However, there are still major question marks as to who will lead the offense at quarterback.

Jalon Daniels and Miles Kendrick both saw significant action at signal caller last season, combining for 1,365 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Former North Texas starting quarterback Jason Bean transferred to Kansas this offseason, throwing his hat into the ring.

Bean had a dismal 54.5 percent completion percentage in 2020, tossing 14 touchdowns and five picks.

Unfortunately, whoever starts at quarterback will have to play behind a patchwork offensive line that provided little protection in the passing game or on the ground in 2020.

On the other side of the football, the Jayhawks return an experience group of defenders.

Seven of the 11 projected starters are upperclassmen, including senior linebacker Kyron Johnson.

Kyron Johnson, Kansas Jayhawks
Linebacker Kyron Johnson led the Kansas Jayhawks with three sacks in 2020 :: Jerome Miron / USA TODAY Sports

Johnson led the Jayhawks a year ago with three sacks, also racking up 42 tackles, good enough for second on the team.

Kenny Logan Jr. also returns at safety for Kansas, as the hard-hitting junior was one of the few bright spots on the KU defense in 2020.

Leading the team with 58 total tackles, Logan also picked off two passes and forced a fumble in 2020.

Regardless, the Sooners should roll in Lawrence, and OU fans should be able to see the Oklahoma youngsters get significant playing time in the second half against the Jayhawks. 

Published
Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

Home/Football