As of publication, the Kansas Jayhawk football season is under 24 hours away. It feels like an eon ago fans had to exit David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium after a 31-21 loss to Utah that made even the most joyful KU fans struggle to muster a smile.
However, after over nine months, Kansas football is finally back.
Now, is this a team loaded with question marks. To name a few, the Jayhawks don’t have solid proof of quarterback Isaiah Marshall, who has only thrown three passes in college. Kansas’ offensive line had three starters from last year exit and instead file in five new members. On the other side of the line is a defensive front that has recently lost Tre’Von McAlpine, paired with a young secondary. But notice how none of those questions have anything to do with Kansas' running back room, specifically running back Dylan Edwards.
CBS Sports calls Edwards a boom-or-bust player
Edwards started his career with the Colorado Buffaloes, where he played a bit-part role in Deion Sanders’ inaugural season at Colorado. Across 76 attempts, Edwards totaled 321 yards, with one rushing touchdown. In the air, Edwards added 299 receiving yards and 4 more touchdowns.
After hitting the transfer portal and making the move to fellow Big 12 school Kansas State, he automatically became a foe of Kansas fans everywhere. In 16 games with the Wildcats, Edwards tallied 1,339 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns.
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports' reasoning for Edwards' inclusion on this list is listed below.
“If Dylan Edwards is a 1,000-yard running back, the Jayhawks are going bowling as a factor in the Big 12. If he's quiet and subdued as a playmaker, this Kansas offense will struggle. He's electric in the open field and one of the nation's best when he gets to the edge with a career average of 5.8 yards per carry, but has only shown flashes since bursting onto the scene as a true freshman at Colorado in 2023. He rushed for 546 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore at Kansas State before only playing in four games last season.”
While Crawford’s point of view that Edwards' flash hasn’t become fully consistent is true, what helps Edwards out significantly is that he doesn’t have to do it all by himself. With the additions of Yasin Willis and Jalen Dupree via the NCAA Transfer Portal, this flips from an attack over-reliant on one player to one spread out over three. This was noted in Kansas’ depth chart heading into week one, where Edwards and Willis were separated with an “Or” between their names on the depth chart.
This season, Edwards' ability to maximize his snaps will be his biggest test. If he is able to continue the averages Crawford noted, then he will have done everything KU fans could have asked for and more, allowing Willis and Dupree to make up the dirty yards when Edwards isn’t on the field.
Kansas’ kickoff against FCS side LIU is set for 7 p.m. CT with streaming available on ESPNU.
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