Last season, the Kansas Jayhawks entered the season with DeShawn Hanika presumed to be the team’s No. 1 tight end. Unfortunately, Hanika’s season was derailed when a season-ending injury forced him to the sidelines, and instead, Boden Groen jumped in and finished the season with 36 receptions for 450 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Now, of course, towards the beginning of the season, one of the running jokes of the KU depth chart was the fact that there was an “or” placed next to every single tight end, proving that each would have a role in certain parts of a game.
While this tactic can be effective at times, it also demonstrates a key weak point. If Groen had naturally soft hands but was worse at run blocking, then every time he would be subbed in, it could signal a passing play incoming or give defenses a strong chance of shedding his blocks.
But despite this carousel of tight ends, Groen and others were able to seamlessly produce, proving there was confidence in no matter who was deemed as tight end No. 1.
Fans will be hoping that this year is the same.
Depth chart help is provided here by Ourlads.
Kansas was forced to reload its tight end depth
The depth chart places Carson Bruhn first, with Leyton Cure and Jalien Butler filling in at No. 2 and No. 3.
Bruhn was producing a solid redshirt freshman season with 8 appearances and 5 starts before a season-ending injury halted his year. Bruhn notched 5 receptions for 55 yards on the season.
Cure reeled in 63 yards across 4 receptions last season to go along with 1 receiving touchdown as well.
Lastly lies Butler. Across two seasons at Old Dominion, Butler tallied 18 receptions for 103 yards and 1 touchdown.
Before thoughts are given on the roles each aforementioned player may take next fall, it is worth noting that tight ends coach Matt Lubick is returning for his second year with the Jayhawks, after a one-year stint as Nevada’s offensive coordinator. Lubick has had a storied career coaching wideouts, which makes him a versatile tight ends coach who forces opposing defenses to always keep track of whichever tight end is on the field.
This tight end corps feels a lot like last season’s minus the Hanika-like figure. Bruhn and Cure both have experience playing under Lubick for one season, but Butler adds proven hands. Do not be surprised to see this shake out like last season, where each player will have their respective opportunities throughout a game. Is this necessarily what you want? Probably not, but Lubick was wildly successful last year, and if he can perform similarly in the 2026 campaign, then this rotation should bode just fine.
Overall Grade: B+
This is a grade dominated by Lubick’s expertise in establishing good wideouts, and the fact that when things could have gone haywire last season, instead the tight end group was debatably the most consistent aspect of the entire team. While the names may not immediately jump out as all-conference caliber, this should play out as one of the best groups on this team yet again.
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