Kansas finished 2022 with a surprising 6-7 record. The team started out of the gate red hot with five straight wins, including victories over West Virginia, Houston, Duke, and Iowa State. They somewhat faltered down the stretch, but this coincided with quarterback injury. Kansas closed the year with a thrilling 55-53 bowl loss at the hands of Arkansas, but they still reached a bowl for the first time since 2008. This year, FanDuel Sportsbook has opened the bidding on Kansas’ win total at 5.5, with the over juiced to -144. The Jayhawks sits at +4500 to win the Big 12, which ranks around the middle of the pack. With all of that said, let’s dive into Kansas football predictions with a season preview and roster overview.
2023 Kansas Football Predictions & Season Preview
Kansas Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Kansas now enters year three of the Lance Leipold era after a miraculous turnaround in year two. He previously coached at Buffalo with plenty of success in he MAC. Leipold now has the luxury of returning most of his staff. Andy Kotelnicki and Brian Borland return as offensive and defensive coordinator. Both have been in place since Leipold initially took the job and previously coached with Leipold at Buffalo
Kansas Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
Kansas enters the 2023 season with an abundance of resources at the quarterback position. The team returns starter Jalon Daniels along with backup Jason Bean. Last year, Daniels played in nine games due to injury, but he completed 152 of 231 passes (65.8%) for 2,014 yards (8.7 YPA), 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Daniels showed elite rushing ability, notching 425 yards on 77 carries (5.5 YPC), while taking just seven sacks.
He finished as the Big 12’s second graded passer, per PFF. Daniels did battle a shoulder injury last year, but he seems to have recovered from the issue. Bean was also strong in relief of Daniels, completing 87 of 136 passes (64%) for 1,280 yards (9.4 YPA), 14 scores, and four interceptions. The former North Texas product also rushed for 222 yards on 38 attempts (5.8 YPC). Ultimately, this is one of the stronger Kansas quarterback rooms in recent memory.
Running Back
At the running back position, Kansas returns their top three backs in Devin Neal, Daniel Hishaw Jr., and Sevion Morrison. The team did lose Ky Thomas to transfer, but they also added Buffalo/Georgia Tech transfer Dylan McDuffie. Neal stands 5-11, 210 pounds and rushed 259 times for 1,093 yards and nine scores. He also caught 21 balls for 183 yards with only two drops. He averaged 2.88 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 14.7% of his attempts.
Hishaw only played in five games before injury, but he rushed 44 times for 259 yards and five scores with three fumbles. The 5-10, 215 pound back only caught three passes, but he averaged 3.86 yards after contact and forced a missed tackle on 47.8% of his attempts. Morrison came in from Nebraska last year and rushed 23 times for 165 yards as an explosive compliment to the run game.
McDuffie only rushed 22 times last year with Georgia Tech, but he previously recorded 1,049 yards and 14 receptions with Buffalo in 2021. Overall, the running back position remains deep at Kansas, but Neal and Hishaw should form the primary one-two punch.
Wide Receiver
Among their pass catchers, Kansas returns their top five options. This group is highlighted by Lawrence Arnold, who recorded 44 catches and 716 yards last year. Arnold stands 6-3, 200 pounds and played out wide 84.8% of the time. His 2.1 yards per route ranked eighth in the Big 12 last year.
Luke Grimm also returns after 52 catches for 623 yards and six scores last year. At 6-0, 190 pounds, Grimm played in the slot 74% of the time and his 2.32 yards per route ranked sixth overall. Finally, Quentin Skinner returns after 26 receptions for 453 yards and five scores last year. The 6-5, 190 pound burner played out wide 69% of the time and his 1.91 yards per route ranked 15th in the Big 12.
Behind them, Kansas returns a slew of role players, including Tanaka Scott, Kevin Terry, and former UMass transfer Douglas Emilien. Overall, Kansas retains high end talent and enough depth to make this a position of strength for 2023.
Tight End
At tight end, Kansas returns their top two options in Mason Fairchild and Jared Casey. Fairchild played 661 snaps last year and caught 35 balls for 443 yards. Fairchild stands 6-5, 261 pounds and blocked on 53.9% of his snaps. His 1.58 yards per route were pretty strong for a tight end.
Kansas did use a fair amount of 12 personnel and Casey played 414 snaps himself. Casey proved himself as a decent pass catcher with 18 receptions for 224 yards. He also blocked on 62.3% of his snaps last year. With Trevor Kardell also back after 82 snaps, this position has solid depth for Kansas.
Offensive Line
Along the offensive line Kansas lost only left tackle Earl Bostick Jr.. They return Dominick Puni at left guard after playing 848 snaps last year. Center Mike Novitsky also returns after 843 snaps last year. He previously started two years at Buffalo before his two years starting with Kansas. Absurdly, he has 3,015 snaps under his belt so far in his career. Right guard Michael Ford Jr. also returns after 721 snaps last year. This will be his third season starting with Kansas.
At right tackle, Bryce Cabeldue returns after 801 snaps. Also entering this third season starting, this Kansas offensive line has an elite foundation. As for left tackle, Deondre Doiron would be the leading in-house candidate. He only played seven snaps last year, but he started and played 855 snaps with Buffalo the year prior.
Kansas also added three offensive line transfers. Former five-star recruit Logan Brown comes over from Wisconsin after 337 snaps in three seasons with the Badgers. Spencer Lovell also comes in from Cal after previously playing with Arizona State. He has 482 snaps in four college seasons so far. Another candidate could be Kobe Baynes, who previously played with Louisville in 2021. Ultimately, this offensive line group should be solid again in 2023.
Kansas Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense
Kansas ranked 104th on defense in 2022. This included the 104th-ranked run defense, 88th-ranked pass rush and 92nd-ranked secondary. Kansas does return a lot of production on this side of the ball, but it seems they will rely mostly on a step forward from the incumbent players. They did add seven transfers on this side of the ball, perhaps raising the floor of this unit.
Defensive Line
The Jayhawks lost their two main edge defenders in Lonnie Phelps and Malcolm Lee. However, this group struggled to generate pressure to begin with. The two incumbents at the edge positions are Hayden Hatcher and Jereme Robinson. The pair played 342 and 440 snaps each. Robinson ranked second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and Hatcher contributed two himself. In addition, the defensive line was the focus of this team in the portal. Patrick Joyner comes in from Utah State after a pair of seasons over 450 snaps. Former four-star Dylan Brooks comes in from Auburn. Even Minnesota depth piece Austin Booker joined the program.
On the interior Kansas lost Sam Burt and Eddie Wilson. This position brings far less experience with DJ Withers and Caleb Taylor playing 186 and 197 snaps. Like the edge group, Kansas also hit the portal on the interior. Devin Phillips comes in from Colorado State after previously playing 633 snaps in 2022. He redshirted last year, giving him the chance to join Kansas unrestricted. Gage Keys also comes in from Minnesota after playing a limited role last year. Honestly, the departing starters weren’t very good, so this could be an addition by subtraction.
Linebacker
At linebacker Kansas lost Lorenzo McCaskill, but they return two full time starters in Taiwan Berryhill and Rich Miller. Both come with limitations, but they played 577 and 782 snaps each. Miller ranked second on the team with 94 tackles and Berryhill recorded 46 himself. JB Brown also transferred in from Bowling Green after playing 323 snaps last year. He will provide depth to the position, if nothing else.
Defensive Back
The secondary remains almost entirely in place starting with corner. Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson played 678and 814 snaps apiece last year. Bryant defended nine passes and finished with three interceptions. Dotson broke up six passes himself with a pair of interceptions.
Their nickel should be Craig Young, who also played 834 snaps. Young broke up another three passes and recorded 60 tackles as a versatile defender. Kansas also added LSU transfer Damarius McGhee after 68 snaps in two years with the Tigers.
At safety, both OJ Burroughs and Kenny Logan Jr. return. Burroughs played 627 snaps last year and Logan logged 870. Logan led the team with 106 tackles, while breaking up five passes himself. Burroughs broke up three passes and recorded 49 tackles on the back end. Ultimately, this secondary played a lot of boom-bust football. One more year in the program should help, but what is the true ceiling of this unit?
2023 Kansas Football Schedule & Predictions
Kansas Football 2023 Schedule
While Kansas showed improvement last year, parlaying that success into another step forward could be challenging. The Jayhawks play Illinois in non-conference, along with Missouri State and Nevada. Within the Big 12 they draw Texas, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Kansas State. According to early odds, those are the four best teams in the conference. With the bottom end of this conference also dangerous, Kansas landed a tough draw for 2023 schedule wise.
Kansas Football Futures Bet & Prediction
At first glance, the 5.5 win total for Kansas makes sense. The top end of this schedule features the best teams in the conference. This leaves little margin for error against the teams like BYU, UCF, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, and Cincinnati. Kansas should pick up two wins in non-conference, but they will have to pick up four more to crest this win total. With some of the turnover at those other schools, this isn’t impossible. With slight juice over 5.5 wins, this looks like the top bet in a fairly efficient market.
Best Kansas Football Futures Bet: Over 5.5 Wins -144 at FanDuel
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida Season Preview & Predictions
- Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
- Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
- Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
- West Virginia Season Preview & Predictions
