At the time of writing this we are 73 days away from the start of the Kansas Football season. The Jayhawks will open the football season hosting Mountain West opponent Fresno State in a Week 0 clash in Lawrence, Kansas. Fans will certainly be excited about the first game inside the newly renovated Booth.
A lot of the starting players that fans have come to love, guys like Devin Neal, Cobee Bryant, Luke Grimm, and more have all graduated and left the program. In their place is a group of new transfers and freshmen that many fans might not recognize. With two-and-a-half months to go, now is as good a time as ever to learn the names of some of the newest additions to Lance Leipold's squad this year.
Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Transfer from Alabama
Emmanuel Henderson Jr. transfers to Kansas in hopes of finding a consistent target share. A 4-star running back out of high school, Henderson was a rotation receiver for the Crimson Tide during his time on campus. Buried in the depth chart, he only saw the fourth-most targets amongst wide receivers this past season. Henderson's biggest asset is his speed.
In an article written by Henry Greenstein of KUsports.com, transfer cornerback DJ Graham says "He’s probably one of the fastest receivers I’ve ever guarded... He’s explosive, but not only is he fast but he’s quick.” On top of his speed, he's got great vision in the open field thanks to his experience as a running back.
That combined with his speed could be a threat to opposing corners and safeties. I can imagine routes being drawn specifically for him to just blow past defenders in single coverage. This is an exciting addition from the portal, and the writing is on the wall for him to thrive in Lawrence under Jim Zebrowski's offense.
Bangally Kamara, Transfer from South Carolina
Bangally Kamara is a 6th-year senior coming in from South Carolina. Playing four seasons at Pitt prior to the 2024 season, Kamara has seen his fair share of snaps. This being his last season of elligibility (barring a crazy ruling from the NCAA) he is looking to make an immediate impact, and is currently projecting to be a day 1 starter for the Jayhawks.
Through his entire college career, Kamara has logged 129 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and five sacks. His intention in South Carolina was to red-shirt and return for the 2025 season, but the coaching staff had other ideas. So, here he is suiting up for the crimson and blue this coming season.
With years of experience and high-physicality, Kamara will surely be a focal point in D.K. McDonald's defense. Special mention to the other transfer linebackers that will play alongside Kamara, Bowling Green's Joseph Sipp Jr. and West Virginia's Trey Lathan. In my opinion, the three of them will be a bit of a three-headed-monster for Kansas. I expect all three to be starting come August, with all three having a large impact on the defensive side of the ball.
Gage Keys, Transfer from Auburn
Gage Keys, as some of you might remember, entered the portal after the 2023 season and joined the Auburn Tigers for the 2024 season. While the opportunity for Keys to grow as a player at Auburn seemed likely, he didn't clock a single snap played!
He re-entered the portal in December and committed to come back home to play for Lance's Jayhawks once again. The veteran defensive lineman is looking to improve on his 2023 campaign with the Jayhawks.
During that season, he notched 21 tackles. Standing at 6'4 and weighing 291 pounds, he will be a welcome part of this season's defensive line. Keys is an explosive player and uses his size advantage to be as explosive as possible. He can play multiple positions, which gives the Jayhawks depth and diversity up front on the defense.
Austin Alexander, Red Shirt Freshman
Austin Alexander was a recruit for Kansas's 2024 recruiting class. A product of Chicago Marion Catholic, he's a pretty versatile corner back. I can't say for sure how much playing time the freshman will get, but I think he's too good not to use as a rotation piece at the corner back position.
He's not the biggest guy on the field, standing at 6'1, but he's pretty athletic and has a great jump on the ball. I would imagine he plays behind DJ Graham and Laquan Robinson, but as the days get closer and fall practice starts up, we'll get a clearer picture of where everyone is going to fit on the roster.
Leshon Williams, Transfer from Iowa
Running back Leshon Williams is leaving an Iowa program where he was once the school's lead rushing option. During the 2023 season, he ran for 821 yards on 170 carries. Despite being relied upon so heavily, he didn't have much success finding the end zone.
He comes to Kansas and joins a running back room occupied by Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Harry Stewart lll. I think Zebrowski will utilize both Williams and Hishaw pretty evenly. Hishaw has great spatial awareness and good speed, while Williams skill set is more physical, while also holding some speed of his own. I think the duo will be pretty impactful for the Jayhawks, with Williams proving to be a physical presence in the backfield.