The Kansas football team is revamping its passing game with almost wholesale changes to the wide receiver and tight end rooms. With a mix of veteran transfers and inexperienced holdovers, quarterback Jalon Daniels will have his work cut out for him if the passing game is going to surpass, or even match, last season’s effort.
KU added several upperclassmen with experience at wide receiver, and a couple more tight ends. Using the word experienced, however, may be overstating the matter much. Only three receivers on the KU roster have caught more than 11 passes in their career, and only one tight end has any catches.
Still, as the old adage goes, someone has to catch the passes, and someone will. Players will step forward and earn more and more opportunities to make an impact.
Which current Kansas football players have the most receiving touchdowns in their career?
Because running backs are a big part of a passing game, they will be included on this list along with the receivers and the one tight end.
- Bryson Canty, WR, R-Sr. - 17 touchdowns
- Boden Groen, TE, R-Sr. - 3
- Levi Wentz, WR, R-Sr. - 2
- Doug Emillien, WR, R-Sr. - 2
- Cam Pickett, WR, R-Jr. - 2
- Daniel Hishaw, Jr., RB, R-Sr. - 1
- LeShon Williams, RB, R-Sr. - 1
That’s it! That’s the list. Outside of Canty’s 17 touchdown catches at Columbia, the rest of the KU roster has 11 total scoring receptions.
For most of the players listed above and the rest of those on the roster, it’s been about opportunity. It’s clear that there will be plenty of opportunities in the passing game for players to make their mark with the offense.
In addition to the players above, two others could be scoring threats. Emmanuel Henderson Jr. transferred from Alabama, where he never really had a chance to be impactful. Jaidyn Doss moved to KU from Nebraska, where he had just two catches for 20 yards. It would be surprising to see him in the end zone a few times this season.
The Kansas football passing game will be a work in progress early, as playing time and targets will be up for grabs. There are a lot of candidates, and either a few will step up and surpass the rest, or Daniels will spread things around to a larger group.
Either way, patience might be needed early, but by the time the Jayhawks get to the conference portion of their schedule, Daniels will know which players he trusts the most. KU is going to pass the ball. The question is to whom.