- Head Coach: Lance Leipold (fifth season)
- 2024 Record: 5-7
- Strength of Schedule: 62nd
- PFF Projected Win Total: 7.2
- FanDuel Win Total: 7.5
2024 Recap
In 2022 and 2023, Lance Leipold led Kansas to its first bowl games since 2008. He was being discussed as one of the best coaches in college football for turning around what was arguably the Power Five’s worst program.
After entering 2024 as the No. 22 team in the preseason AP poll, the Jayhawks ended up missing a bowl game with a 5-7 record. That was through no fault of their offense, as Kansas fielded the sixth-highest-graded unit in college football (86.9). The Jayhawks’ defense, meanwhile, placed outside the top 100 units in EPA allowed per play. Kansas still has plenty of concerns on that side of the ball, so it may be up to quarterback Jalon Daniels to carry the program back to a bowl game.
Biggest Strength: A quarterback with a lot of potential
Jalon Daniels was a bit of a rollercoaster in 2024, but the highs were very high. His 7.1% big-time throw rate tied with Jaxson Dart, a 2025 first-round draft pick, for the second-best clip in the Power Four. His 27 forced missed tackles on the ground were the fourth most among Big 12 signal-callers.
Biggest Weakness: A bad defense that may have gotten worse
Kansas’ defense held the team back from making a bowl game in 2024, and it doesn’t look like the Jayhawks improved much on that side of the ball. In fact, they may have taken a step backward after losing their three best defenders: cornerbacks Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson and linebacker JB Brown.
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