The Kansas football season is almost here! The Jayhawks will host the Long Island Sharks (yes, it's a real university with a football team) on Friday at 7 pm CDT in the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
In theory, this game should serve as a mere warm-up to the rest of the season; it is difficult to see how much this game can help KU. Last week, the Sharks lost 42-21 to North Dakota.
While all schools play a team they really shouldn't, this opponent doesn't seem like it will prepare Kansas for the likes of Missouri next week. It will certainly be challenging to evaluate any positive performances properly. Negative performances will stand out, however, and may reveal weaknesses.
Still, there are some specific things for which fans can watch. Hopefully, players will excel in a game they should dominate.
4 players for the Kansas offense everyone should watch
Isaiah Marshall: Quarterback
Everyone has seen what Marshall can do with his legs. Last year as a redshirt freshman, he rushed the ball 15 times for 160 yards. That 10.7 average per carry is pretty impressive, even if it is a small sample size.
Fans should pay more attention to his passing against LIU. Marshall completed all three of his attempts in 2025, but it is difficult to gain much from that small sample.
Can he get the ball downfield? Is he accurate? Can he check down when he needs to? How well does he read defenses? While the opposition won't be terrific in this game, if Marshall looks good in these areas, then everyone should feel good about him against Missouri next week.
Nik McMillan: Wide Receiver
McMillan is the best receiver head coach Lance Leipold pulled in from the transfer portal. McMillan caught 62 balls for 981 yards and three touchdowns last year for Buffalo.
Those numbers were good enough to put McMillan on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist. This award is given to college football's most outstanding receiver. If he can live up to those preseason expectations, he can be a star.
Fans can watch McMillan to see if he can create space, if he runs tight routes, and if he can block on running plays. Does he have good hands? Can he create yards after his catches? If he does these things effectively on Friday, maybe he can become the biggest weapon the Jayhawks have on the outside.
Yasin Willis and Jalen Dupree: Running Backs
Jayhawks fans are very familiar with what K-State transfer Dylan Edwards can do, but few have seen much of Willis and Dupree. Both gained more than 500 yards last season: Dupree, 508, at Colorado State; and Willis, 558, at Syracuse.
It will be interesting to watch how these three are used to complement each other and what kind of talent Willis and Dupree bring to the team. It seems like a luxury for Leipold to have such depth at running back.
Because plenty of players will get to play this week, hopefully, fans might also get peeks at Kory Amachree and other youngsters at running back.
Leipold has to get away from scheduling this level of opponents, even for the warm-up games. The Jayhawks need to escape this game without any major injuries.
It will be fun to have Kansas football again, and it is always intriguing to see what new players will lead the team this season.
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