Longhorns Country

Kansas Defensive Players To Watch vs. Texas

The Kansas Jayhawks bring a defense to Austin that has been one of the country's worst this season

Matt Galatzan

The Texas Longhorns will welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to Austin in what should be a nice rebound game after a tough road trip to Iowa State

The Jayhawks, who sit with a 1-8 record, have struggled in a big way throughout Lance Leipold's first season on both sides of the ball.

READ MORE: Switzer Reveals SEC Prediction for Longhorns and Sooners

Much like the offense, the defense in Lawrence is one of the worst in the country. In short, things have been brutal for the Jayhawks, ranking last in the conference in scoring defense, rushing defense, and total defense.

They do rank fourth in the conference in pass defense, however, which is a major improvement from a season ago.

On Tuesday, LonghornsCountry.com began its preview of Kansas with an overview of the program, before looking at some key offensive players to watch. Now, it's time to preview the key difference-makers on the defensive side of the ball when Texas takes on Kansas in Austin on November 13th at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

READ MORE: Texas Longhorns 2021 Opponent Preview: Kansas Jayhawks

Make sure to stick with LonghornsCountry.com through our season preview series, where we will analyze every opponent on the Longhorns schedule in 2021.

Now, on to the Jayhawks:

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USA Today Sports

S Kenny Logan Jr

A true playmaker for the Kansas defense, Kenny Logan Jr. is the heart of the Jayhawks secondary. In 2020, Logan finished first on the team in tackles with 58 total stops, first on the team in interceptions with two, and also had one sack, one forced fumble, and three pass breakups to his name. 

In 2021, Logan once again leads the team in tackles with 71 through nine games. 

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USA Today Sports

LB Kyron Johnson

Kyron Johnson was the backbone of the Kansas defense in 2020, finishing second on the team with 42 total tackles, second on the team with 4.5 tackles for loss, and first on the team in sacks with three. 

Johnson has been the team's best pass rusher in 2021 as well and leads the team with 3.5 sacks. 

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LB Gavin Potter

Just behind Logan in total tackles, linebacker Gavin Potter a key cog in the Jayhawks front 7. Through nine games Potter has 59 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writer’s Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014 covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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