Kansas football: Why the Jayhawks are better off now than last season

Kansas football seems to be on its way to another three-win season. Still, the Jayhawks are better off now than they were last season.

In one of the saddest statistics ever, Kansas football hasn’t won more than three games in a season in over a decade. Those that believed the Jayhawks would reach a bowl game this season probably had their expectations set a little too high, but there was nothing wrong with believing this team could make an improvement.

Despite the 3-8 record, Kansas football has improved and is trending in the right direction.

Recruiting is off to a solid start, as the Jayhawks have the twenty-ninth ranked class in the country according to Rivals. Right now, Kansas’ recruiting class is more quantity than quality, but that’s just the way things are going to be.

It’s up to Les Miles and the coaching staff to figure out how to do more with less. This season, it’s all about laying a foundation, and so far, Miles has done that.

Continuing on the subject of recruits and recruiting, it’s important to remember that Les Miles and his staff didn’t recruit the players on the current roster. That’s not an excuse for poor play, but it’s realistic to expect an increase in the quality of play on the field once Miles and his staff’s recruits hit the field.

Speaking of Les Miles’ staff, it’s hard not to be excited about offensive coordinator Brent Dearmon and what he can do this offseason with the offense.

Before Dearmon took over, the Kansas offense was only averaging 22.8 points per game. After Dearmon, that average jumped to 27.2 points per game.

That may not sound like a huge improvement, but remember, Kansas played its softest portion of the schedule at the beginning of the season. Kansas also lost two games by only five points (West Virginia and Coastal Carolina) before Dearmon took over.

Now, Dearmon will have an entire offseason to work with the offense, instead of having to take over midway through the season like he did this season.

Looking back at last year’s squad, things seem night and day just in the excitement from Kansas football fans.

The Booth was sold out for the first time in over a decade this season, and the average attendance was up for every game. It’s extremely important that Jayhawk fans keep coming to football games; it shows recruits that Kansas cares about football, and it means a lot to the current players too.

"“That meant the world to us as players coming out there and seeing this sold-out crowd. It’s crushing that we didn’t put on a better show for them.”  – Kansas quarterback Carter Stanley"

Kansas still has one more chance to reach their four-win season though, and it comes next Saturday against Baylor on senior day.

The Bears are in the midst of a special season and recently clinched a spot in the Big 12 Championship. Head coach Matt Rhule is doing a fantastic job in Waco, and his team’s going to be hard to beat.

Things are changing in Lawrence. It isn’t going to be an overnight thing, or probably even a couple of years thing. Turnarounds take time, and right now, Kansas football is in the beginning stages of what will hopefully become one of the greatest success stories in college football history.