Kansas Jayhawks Football

Things are trending up for the Kansas football program.

The Jayhawks unveiled a video and photographs of their "transformed" David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Tuesday:

To The Stars 💫

Introducing the KU Gateway District and a transformed David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. pic.twitter.com/Sf5zdmuyda

— Kansas Jayhawks (@KUAthletics) August 15, 2023

The north entry to our beautiful campus 🤩

Welcome to the KU Gateway District. pic.twitter.com/22DXPHWvol

— Kansas Jayhawks (@KUAthletics) August 15, 2023

Brett McMurphy of Action Network noted the facility upgrades will cost more than $300 million, with the first phase scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2025 season.

The announcement comes at a time when the program has plenty of momentum under head coach Lance Leipold. Kansas went 6-7 last season and played in a bowl game for the first time since the 2008 campaign.

It was the first time since 2009 that the team finished with more than three wins, underscoring the years of struggles that Leipold is attempting to turn around.

Another bowl game is the expectation in 2023 with quarterback Jalon Daniels back under center. He completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,014 yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions while adding 419 yards and seven scores on the ground as a runner last season.

If he sets the standard for others to follow in coming years, Kansas might have a consistent winner on its hands by the time the stadium is transformed.

Kansas Jayhawks offensive lineman Joe Krause was arrested by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office on Monday and charged with "aggravated criminal threat; [causing] terror, evacuation or disruption," per Shreyas Laddha of the Kansas City Star.

The arrest came just hours after a bomb threat was called into the team's facilities. A Kansas spokesperson confirmed to the Star that all players and staff were "safely evacuated" and that police responded to the threat.

"We are aware of a situation involving one of our student-athletes," the spokesperson said. "We take the safety of our staff, student-athletes and coaches very seriously. We are gathering more information and will have no further comment at this time."

Interim deputy chief of the University of Kansas Police Department Damon Tucker added that "no devices were found" at the facilities and that the suspect's information would not be released publicly.

"A subject was identified and arrested for making the threats," he said. "Law enforcement will not be releasing the name of the suspect at this time."

However, Douglas County District Court records stated the following (h/t Jordan Guskey of the Topeka Capital-Journal):

[Krause] did unlawfully, feloniously, and with the intent to place another in fear, or to cause the evacuation, lock down or disruption in regular, ongoing activities of any building, communicate a threat to commit violence, and a public, commercial, or industrial building, place of assembly, or facility of transportation, to-wit: KU football facilities, was evacuated, locked down, or disrupted as to regular, ongoing activities as a result of the threat, a severity level 5 person felony.

Krause, a 2020 walk-on, has only seen game time with the Jayhawks in his first season, appearing in two contests. He was redshirted in 2021 and didn't make any appearances in 2022.

Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels is a walking highlight reel—literally.

Daniels was seen on Wednesday at the Big 12 media day wearing a diamond chain that plays his highlights.

Kansas QB Jalon Daniels has a chain that plays his highlights 💎

TOUGH.

(via @KU_Football)pic.twitter.com/TjMfEmfItB

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 12, 2023

Ready for the stage 😏#RockChalk x #Big12FB pic.twitter.com/ijHjkSMo0r

— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) July 12, 2023

Daniels is entering his fourth season with the Jayhawks and is coming off an impressive 2022 campaign in which he completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,014 yards and 18 touchdowns against four interceptions, in addition to rushing for 425 yards and seven scores.

However, Kansas finished the 2022 season with a 6-7 record and a loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl.

The Jayhawks haven't posted a winning season since they went 8-5 in 2008 under Mark Mangino, but Daniels is hoping the program can change that in 2023 as he aims to improve his NFL draft stock.

Daniels should be one of the more interesting quarterback prospects to keep an eye on in the 2024 draft class, though he likely won't be a first-round pick.

HEIGHT: 6'6"

WEIGHT: 309

HAND: 34 ⅛"

ARM: 9 ½"

WINGSPAN: 80 ¾"

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40-YARD DASH: 5.05

3-CONE: 7.60

SHUTTLE: 4.63

VERTICAL: 31"

BROAD: 9'3"

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POSITIVES

— Solid athletic ability with fluid movement skills to get to landmarks quickly and on time as a puller, on climbs and in pass-protection

— Casts a wide net with his length that can trap and engulf rushers at the point

— Flashes the necessary power to wash down and laterally displace interior run-defenders on down blocks and double-team feeds

— Has another gear late in the rep to uncork and displace defenders

— Capable of hooking the frontside end on wide zone runs

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NEGATIVES

— Plays in a gimmicky offense with wide splits, extensive RPOs/play-action with few true drop-backs

— Upright, high playing style with marginal pad level and anchoring ability

— Has a predictable, simplistic approach with his hands in pass-protection. Needs to refine and diversify his plan of attack

— Soft inside shoulder in protection leaves him vulnerable to inside counters and moves across his face

— Slow to sort out line games, stunts and blitzes leads to losing spacing, depth and levels for easy penetration

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2022 STATISTICS

— 13 starts at left tackle

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NOTES

— Former 2-star tackle prospect out of Barnwell High School in South Carolina

— Played defensive end and tight end during his high school career. Also lettered in basketball and track

— Transitioned to the offensive line full-time during the 2019 season and became a starter in 2020

— 36 career starts (29 consecutive) split between LT (27), RT (five) and TE (four)

— Four time Big 12 Academic All-American first- or second-team selection

— Played for eight different position coaches in six seasons at Kansas

— Invited to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl

— Turns 25 years old on December 31

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OVERALL

Earl Bostick Jr. is a three-year starter inside Kansas' run-first, play-action/RPO heavy offense that is heavily reliant on packaged plays, motion and misdirection. Bostick amassed 36 career starts (29 consecutive) under eight different position coaches after moving from tight end to the offensive line in 2019. He started 13 games at left tackle in 2022 and will turn 25 years old in December. Bostick has a well-rounded dispersion of weight and athletic build with good length and solid movement skills.

Bostick has good fluidity on the move as a puller and on climbs to connect and intersect smaller targets with flashes of power on down and double-team blocks to create lateral displacement, but he has an upright playing style with a rudimentary understanding of how to fit on blocks, playing short and negating his length too often. This leads to quick, clean losses across his face and penetration on kick-out and backside cut-off blocks.

In pass protection, Bostick has the frame, length and quickness to get to his spot and engulf rushers with the range to expand his landmarks and protect the corner against high-side rushes. His main issues come from an overly simplistic approach using his hands and a bad habit of standing straight up with poor pad level that saps his anchoring ability and leads to quick losses across his face. Bostick also struggles to maintain depth and spacing on basis line games and stunts, getting knocked off levels too easily. While offering glimpses of competency on an island, he was heavily protected by the scheme and rarely challenged, clouding his projection to the next level.

Overall, Bostick is an older, unrefined tackle prospect but is relatively new to the offensive line with enough size, athletic ability and flashes of power to warrant a dart throw at the tail end of the draft or as a priority free agent with potential to improve his leverage and technique under the right line coach in the NFL and carve out a backup role down the road.

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GRADE: 5.7 (Backup or Draftable/Rounds 6-7)

OVERALL RANK: 227

POSITION RANK: OT15

PRO COMPARISON: Elijah Wilkinson

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Brandon Thorn

The Missouri Tigers had the opportunity to reignite their longstanding rivalry with the Kansas Jayhawks in the Liberty Bowl this year, but the team reportedly refused.

According to Brett McMurphy of Action Network, while the Jayhawks "were not opposed" to facing the Tigers for the first time since 2011, Missouri simply "didn't want to play Kansas."

Both Kansas and Missouri went 6-6 in the regular season. The Jayhawks will be making their first bowl game appearance since 2008, which was the last time the team had a record above .500. Kansas had opened the 2022 season with five straight wins before a tough 1-5 stretch to close the year.

Missouri had an up-and-down season but closed the year with back-to-back wins. The Tigers' 29-27 win over Arkansas in rivalry week punched their ticket to bowl eligibility.

The Kansas-Missouri rivalry dated back to 1907 and came to an end in 2011 when the Tigers departed the Big 12 to join the SEC. In 2020, it was announced that the two schools will resume their rivalry in the future, scheduling four games beginning in 2025.

The Liberty Bowl, which is one of three bowl games that features SEC vs. Big 12 teams, would have been a prime chance to give fans a preview of the series between Kansas and Missouri before it officially gets restarted. Thanks to the Tigers' decision, it now appears they will have to wait a few years to see themselves and the Jayhawks clash on the field.

The Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Lance Leipold have agreed to a new contract through 2029, per ESPN's Pete Thamel.

"The new deal, combined with $300 million in facility investments announced in Oct., are signs of Kansas' substantial commitment to football moving forward," Thamel wrote in a tweet.

The news comes after The Athletic's Bruce Feldman reported in September that Leipold was being eyed for Nebraska's head coaching vacancy alongside Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien and Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports reported Tuesday that former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, who was reportedly Nebraska's top candidate to replace Scott Frost, turned down the school's head coaching job. Dodd then wondered if Nebraska would turn its attention to Leipold.

With Leipold locked up, the Huskers will have to turn their attention elsewhere.

Leipold signed a one-year extension with Kansas in September, tying him to the Jayhawks through 2027. He originally agreed to a six-year deal when he was hired in April 2021 to replace Les Miles.

In Leipold's first season as head coach in 2021, he led the Jayhawks to a 2-10 record, but the team has shown much improvement this season at 6-5, and he is a National Coach of the Year candidate.

The Jayhawks have one more regular season game left against No. 15 Kansas State, though they are already bowl eligible for the first time since 2008.

Before being hired by Kansas, Leipold served as head coach at the University of Buffalo. In six seasons, he went 37-33 and led the Bulls to three bowl games, including two bowl victories.

On Tuesday, Zac Boyer of the Lawrence Journal-World reported that Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels would miss the rest of the 2022 season after suffering a Grade 3 right shoulder separation.

Daniels pushed back on that report via Twitter:

Sheeesh…That’s News to Me🤔 https://t.co/qLfVAxxLZy

— 𝕁𝔻𝟞💫 (@JalonDaniels6) October 11, 2022

The junior has been excellent to start the season, throwing for 1,072 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception while completing 66.7 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 335 yards and five scores.

Jayhawks head coach Lance Leipold only confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that Daniels was doubtful for Saturday's matchup against 3-3 Oklahoma.

"Jalon did not practice today and would probably be put in the doubtful area," said Tuesday. "Again, looking at it day to day, but hasn't done anything yet and that's probably the extent I will comment at this time."

It's potentially a tough blow for a Jayhawks team that has gotten off to a 5-1 start and is ranked 19th in the latest Associated Press poll, in large part due to the strong play of Daniels. He suffered the injury after being sacked by TCU's' Jamoi Hodge just before halftime of Kansas' 38-31 loss over the weekend.

Backup Jason Bean stepped in and played well in the second half, finishing 16-of-24 for 262 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 34 yards. His one major gaffe, a third-quarter interception, did lead to a TCU touchdown several plays later, however.

All in all, however, it was a strong appearance, especially in relief duty.

"It's really a credit to him. We all recognize that," Leipold told reporters regarding the senior quarterback. "I stood here in August and talked about [Bean] playing well, and it wasn't just to appease him."

Jalon Daniels is OFY ~ brutal blow for him, what a season

But this doesn’t wreck the Jayhawks like it would other teams

Jason Bean is one of the FBS’ best QB2, and not much of a downgrade

Bean is a 2-year starter with a strong arm and track athleticism ~ torched TCU last week

— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) October 11, 2022

Venables notes the speed and experience of Kansas backup QB Jason Bean with Jalon Daniels potentially sidelined in Week 7.

Either way, OU will have its hands full again Saturday.

— Eli Lederman (@ByEliLederman) October 11, 2022

Up next for Bean will be the struggling Sooners, who just lost 49-0 to hated rivals Texas. The Jayhawks will be favored to win, quite the rarity in their matchups with Oklahoma, but Bean will still need to put his best foot forward.

"You're always going to tweak to somebody's strengths, but you know, the call sheet is the call sheet and we're going to continue to do what we can to be as multiple as possible," Leipold said of Bean. "If he ends up being there for a while, I'm sure there are things he's more comfortable with than other plays or something that Jalon runs, but again, that hasn't been a heavy dose of conversation yet."

There are plenty of marquee college football matchups on tap for this Saturday. No. 1 Alabama is seeking revenge against Texas A&M. No. 3 Ohio State goes on the road to face Michigan State. Texas and Oklahoma will face off in the Red River Showdown.

But ESPN's College GameDay isn't heading to any of those campuses. Instead, the popular college football kickoff show will be airing live Saturday from Lawrence, Kansas.

That's right. TCU-Kansas has turned into a highly anticipated Big 12 matchup, something that few could have predicted before the start of the season. Either the No. 17 Horned Frogs (4-0) or the No. 19 Jayhawks (5-0) will still be undefeated after this week.

It will be the first time that College GameDay, which airs live at 9 a.m. ET on ESPN on Saturday, will be on Kansas' campus for a football game.

Before further breaking down the Horned Frogs-Jayhawks matchup, here's the schedule for ranked teams in Week 6, along with predictions for each game.

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Week 6 Top 25 Schedule, Predictions

Saturday, Oct. 8

No. 4 Michigan at Indiana, noon ET, Fox

No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU, noon ET, ESPN

No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas, noon ET, Fox Sports 1

Arkansas at No. 23 Mississippi State, noon ET, SEC Network

South Florida at No. 24 Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+

Auburn at No. 2 Georgia, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS

Texas Tech at No. 7 Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA, 3:30 p.m. ET, Fox

No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State, 4 p.m. ET, ABC

No. 9 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 4 p.m. ET, SEC Network

No. 21 Washington at Arizona State, 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

No. 5 Clemson at Boston College, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Washington State at No. 6 USC, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox

South Carolina at No. 13 Kentucky, 7:30 p.m. ET, SEC Network

Army at No. 15 Wake Forest, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3

No. 16 BYU at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC

No. 20 Kansas State at Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama, 8 p.m. ET, CBS

Florida State at No. 14 NC State, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network

No. 12 Oregon at Arizona, 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

Picks in bold.

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TCU-Kansas Preview

In Lance Leipold's first season as Kansas head coach in 2021, the Jayhawks went 2-10. They may not have had immediate success, but the program needed to be turned around before that could happen.

Turns out, Leipold didn't need much more time to do just that.

Kansas has opened the 2022 season with an unexpected five-game winning streak. The Jayhawks notched road victories over West Virginia and Houston in Weeks 2 and 3, then they defeated Duke and Iowa State at home the past two weeks. They'll be looking to keep that run of success going against TCU on Saturday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

A big reason for Kansas' success has been the play of junior quarterback Jalon Daniels, who entered the year with nine games of starting experience. Through five weeks, he's passed for 983 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 335 yards and five TDs.

The Jayhawks' offense has been strong. But the Horned Frogs' offense has been on another level.

TCU is averaging a Big 12-high 549.5 total yards per game while also scoring a conference-best 48.5 points per contest. The Horned Frogs have had much of their success on the ground, as they're running for 251.8 yards per game.

While TCU has a balanced rushing attack, junior running back Kendre Miller has been the most effective, as he's ran for 386 yards and five touchdowns.

With so many talented playmakers on both sides, this matchup between the Jayhawks and Horned Frogs could turn into a back-and-forth offensive shootout. So it should be plenty of fun to watch.

And, of course, the atmosphere with College GameDay finally in town should take things to another level.

"We see what [success] can do," Leipold said, per Matt Tait of KUsports.com. "We see what it does for this community, we can see what it does in the stands, we can see what it does for our pride, self-esteem, togetherness. We can go through a lot of things and these are all great things to build upon."

But TCU has seen that, too. After the Horned Frogs won only between five and seven games each of the previous four seasons, they already have four victories under new head coach Sonny Dykes.

One of these teams will lose for the first time this year on Saturday. But if the early results are any indication, both should go on to have successful seasons and finish near the top of the Big 12 standings.