The Kansas football team played well in its opening game, a 51-5 win over Long Island last Friday. More importantly, the Jayhawks seemed to have escaped with only one significant injury. Linebacker Ban Crouch hurt his shoulder early in the game and did not return.
With the Missouri Tigers visiting the David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium for the first time since 2005, KU will need to be at its best if they hope to overcome their home underdog status on Friday.
Nothing would boost enthusiasm around the Kansas program more than a victory over the Jayhawks' ancient, pre-Civil War rivals. It would give the program much to build upon in moving forward.
Here is some recent Kansas football news, in case you missed it.
Kansas football injury updates: Bam Crouch and Cam Pickett
Cam Pickett warmed up before the LIU game but wasn't healthy enough to play. Earlier this week head coach Lance Leipold noted that Pickett was practicing to some extent, but it wasn't clear if he'd be ready to play against Mizzou.
According to Leipold, Crouch isn't practicing yet, and although the coach didn't state it outright, it seems doubtful he'll be available against the Tigers. Leipold praised the depth the team has at linebacker, laying the groundwork about the possibility Crouch wouldn't play.
Nik McMillan was fantastic in the first Kansas football win of the season
McMillan looked like a star against LIU, making six catches for 130 yards and a touchdown. The Jayhawks needed a playmaker in the passing game, and McMillan looks the part.
His best play was a 46-yard grab midway through the second quarter when he got beyond the double team deep downfield. Isaiah Marshall put the ball on the money, and McMillan pulled it in. The play really jump-started the KU offense.
It will be interesting if he can have similar success against Missouri this week.
Jalon Daniels praised Isaiah Marshall for the latter's eagerness to learn
Marshall had the luxury of working with Daniels for two years, and according to the former KU star, the younger quarterback was eager to learn and do whatever was necessary for the team.
Those lessons looked well-earned in game one. Marshall went 14-19 (73.6 percent) for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 49 yards on the ground on seven carries. Like Daniels, Marshall is a dual-threat quarterback, and his future looks bright as a Jayhawk.
Kansas is recruiting four-star tight end Max Jones
According to Leyton Roberts, four-star tight end Max Jones has Kansas on his list of schools to visit. Roberts reports that Jones' visit is scheduled for November 7. Jones visited KU's rival and next opponent last week.
NEWS: Four-star TE Max Jones will be taking 6 game day visits this fall, he tells me.
— Leyton Roberts (@LeytonCFB) September 3, 2026
Max is the No. 9 TE in the class of 2028. pic.twitter.com/Pooir1b9ac
247Sports only lists Jones as a three-star recruit, but the composite rankings bump him up to four stars. 247Sports ranks him as the 22nd best tight end in the class.
At six-foot-five, 210 lbs., Jones would be a big, athletic target across the middle for the Jayhawks, and he has the frame to add more weight over time. This is the type of recruit that wouldn't have made a campus visit to Kansas just a few years ago. Leipold is getting through to a better level of recruit than ever before. Hopefully, this is someone who will be a good match for the Jayhawks.
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