Kansas Jayhawks 2025 College Football Preview, Prediction, Betting insights
Kansas Jayhawks
View from afar: The Kansas Jayhawks of '24 were probably the best team of all time to start a season 1-5. Maddening decision-making from players, turnovers, and tough breaks had this team in a bad way. But there was no quit in Leipold's group, and they finished the season 5-7. They essentially ruined Colorado and BYU's title game hopes and gave ASU hell in a close loss. QB Daniels is a perplexing player, spectacular at times, but can turn around and make head-scratching decisions. Grimes, the former OC, heads to Wisconsin, and former DC Borland retires. In comes McDonald on D, hired from within, and Zebrowski to run the offense, with Lubcick also hiring from within. The days of Kotelnicki's offense running riot in Lawrence seem long gone, and with Daniels injured, you wonder if this Jayhawks program will continue to have struggles in '25. We can't write off a Leipold team not by a long shot, but this season will really test this seasoned coach's mettle.
Recruiting: Kansas came through with the #4 class in 2024 in the Big 12, but unfortunately, ranked # 15 for 2025. We don't like to see that kind of trend for a program that seemingly is always fighting for relevance on the gridiron. Can high-end recruit Brinkley show up this season? Was a bummer to see other 4 star edge from '24 Warner transfer to SMU.
Portal: Kansas came in at #9 for this season's transfer class. Kamara (LB) from South Carolina is an interesting addition, as is Mercer from North Texas on the line. Sipp and Graham come over from Bowling Green and Utah State, respectively. They graded out decently at the lower levels. Let's see how they adapt to Big 12 play. With the questions on this back end of the defense, they'll hope to get some hits with the portal pieces.
Roster intrigue: Can this team rely on Jalon Daniels to stay healthy? Seems a big ask, but he is such a threat when healthy and humming. Foster returns at Center after an All Big 12 season, Baynes was solid on the line also. The weapons on this team are a bit question mark, losing Neal to the NFL hurts and you'll be relying on transfers Wentz and Henderson in the WR room. This Defensive D-line could be salty. Dunn, Herold, and Miller all had good years last season. The big question here is the back end. This secondary has all sorts of question marks, and in a league with a bunch of gun slingers, I don't like the sound of that.
Statistical tidbits: Kansas ranked first in PFF graded run blocking and second in PFF Run game. Losing Neal, they killed teams like CU last season with this approach. Can they repeat that success? Kansas averaged 1 interception thrown per game last season. Is this the year Daniels can stop putting the ball in harm's way?
Schedule: Kansas has three first-year head coaches on the slate, along with Fresno State, UCF, and West Virginia. They avoid Arizona State, Baylor, TCU, and BYU. However, they do get Missouri on the road in the Border War. This schedule was a gift from the Big 12!
Prediction: You could talk me into Kansas being a sneaky good bet for Big 12 sleeper team. You could also talk me into them winning 4 or 5 games. I felt like that last year, going into the season with this team! Is the team that rattled off big wins vs Colorado and BYU the team that'll emerge from the jump? If so, this schedule is a cakewalk by Big 12 standards. I will cop out and say 6-6 for Kansas. They'll get a big win beware Mizzou or Texas Tech, and have mind boggling losses, maybe that's who this team led by Daniels just is!
Actionable: This would have been an absolute home run under pick for me, but this schedule is something I simply can't give a recommendation on. Kansas is one of the trickiest teams to predict given QB fluctuations, how stout they are at a couple of key spots, and how thin they are at others. If you want to hammer a juicy under 7.5, be my guest. If you like Kansas as a long shot title bet is more your cup of tea, I'll tip the cap. I want nothing to do with it!
