Kansas football: 12 Jayhawks land on Phil Steele’s Preseason All-Big 12 Teams

Seth Keller

Seeing a KU kicker make an All-Big 12 team is a sight for sore eyes. With all due respect to Jacob Borcila, having a kicker who was just 58 percent on field goals over his last three seasons was an absolute killer for a team that was struggling enough already. Keller, on the other hand, is 86 percent in his career, missing just six of his 43 career field goal attempts. With KU expected to be competitive in nearly all of their games this season, having a reliable kicker is even more important.

Craig Young

Young does a little bit of everything for the Jayhawks, and he does most of those things pretty darn well. Last year, he was second on the team in sacks, third on the team in tackles, fourth on the team in tackles for loss, tied for fifth in interceptions, sixth in passes defensed, and tied for second in forced fumbles. Like Kenny Logan, his ability to make plays all over the field is a valuable asset for the Jayhawks.

Lawrence Arnold

While Luke Grimm led the team in receptions and touchdowns, it was Arnold who was the top yardage receiver on the team. He is much more of a field stretcher for the Jayhawks’ high-powered offense. Among receivers with at least 40 receptions last season, he was 22nd in the FBS in yards per reception. With the arm strength that both Jalon Daniels and Jason Bean have, his skill set is put to good use on a weekly basis.

Devin Phillips

While his numbers at Colorado State won’t jump off the page (7.5 sacks in 34 games), his impact is felt more on stuff that doesn’t show up on the box score. If you remember Daniel Wise from a handful of years ago, he was just a massive force inside without getting a ton of counting stats. Now, comparing a transfer from a mid-major school to a 3x All-Big 12 selection is probably unfair to Phillips, but the way they impact the game should be similar between the two.