Through the Phog
Fansided

Kansas football: Where will KU finish in the Big 12?

By John Fitzgerald

Sep 1, 2018; Lawrence, KS, USA; A helmet for the Kansas Jayhawks sits on the bench during the second half against the Nicholls State Colonels at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2018; Lawrence, KS, USA; A helmet for the Kansas Jayhawks sits on the bench during the second half against the Nicholls State Colonels at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Kansas football has finished last in the Big 12 standings all but one year the last ten years. As the new staff works to change that, it doesn’t seem likely that change will happen this year.

The Athletic and 247 Sports have once again picked Kansas to finish last place in the conference. It doesn’t come as a surprise, but for any fans hoping a writer would take a chance on them, it won’t happen this year.

Kansas once again has a new head coach in Lance Leipold with a mostly new staff. Although, most of the new staff have worked together for a significant amount of time at some point. This is different from the past four coaching hires as they brought in a mostly brand new staff.

It’s hard to tell how much this will affect the Jayhawk’s success this year, but there are other factors in place–such as losing three of their most promising defensive players in Karon Prunty, Da’Jon Terry, and Marcus Harris.

The Jayhawk’s did bring in a few defensive transfers of their own who plan to make a significant impact–Jeremy Webb (Missouri State), Cornell Wheeler (Michigan), Ronald McGee (Buffalo), Rich Miller (Buffalo), Eddie Wilson (Buffalo), and Zion Debose (Virginia Tech).

And even with how bad the Jayhawk’s offensive line struggled last year, the new offensive line coach, Scott Fuchs, has the unit in place to be one of its strongest in a long time. If the offensive line can improve as much as expected, that opens up a whole new world for the Jayhawks.

The quarterback position is also a bit of a concern as one guy hasn’t yet separated himself from the rest of the pack. Miles Kendrick appears to be in the lead, but Jason Bean and Jalon Daniels are so skilled in other areas they could change that in a matter of days.

Probably the most encouraging unit for the Jayhawks is the running back position. True freshman Devin Neal looks to make an immediate impact, and Velton Gardner and Daniel Hishaw, who both averaged over 4 yards-per-carry last season, will bring the much-needed experience.

The Jayhawks have the tools in place to finish ahead of the last spot in the Big 12, but the timing of the coaching change and loss of important players could make things difficult. It all depends on how the team progresses throughout fall camp and if a quarterback does eventually separate themself from the others.

If all goes smoothly at camp and the coaches and players get on the same page, the Jayhawks could potentially have their best finish in the Big 12 in over ten years.

Home/Kansas Jayhawks Football