One of the worst things to have to deal with in collegiate athletics as a coach is injuries. You can almost never control the frequency or the severity, and they almost always leave you in a bind. For Kansas head coach Lance Leipold, the 2025-26 season has brought a lot of binds.
Heading into Saturday’s matchup against the No. 7 Texas Tech Red Raiders, things were going to have to go perfectly for a chance at Kansas pulling off a monumental upset, and a 42-17 scoreline clearly can tell you that they did not go to plan.
With the introduction of Big 12 availability reporting, the whole world now gets an inside scoop on how each team will mostly be filed heading into every conference game.
Minutes before Saturday’s matchup, Kansas’ report was sent in, and it found a number of injuries in the secondary. Safeties Devin Dye, Laquan Robinson, and Mason Ellis were listed as either out or game-time decisions, painting a picture of a mix-and-match safety group.
“Our coaches do a really good job of implementing just being ready and the next guy up,” quoted Kansas safety Taylor Davis.
“They all train us the same way, so we all have the same experience, so nobody, like, flinches when they get out there.”
Davis notched his first career interception on Saturday against backup Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond.
This is a safety group that faces noviceness or mass experience. There are six safeties who are upperclassmen, including Lyrik Rawls, Devin Dye, Robinson, Jalen Dye, Mason Ellis, and Landon Nelson.
Meanwhile, Davis is the only redshirt sophomore is the only member of that group. Following him is freshman Brandon Schmelzle, redshirt freshman Damani Maxson, freshman Darrion Jones, and redshirt freshman Colter McDaniel.
A bye week could not have come any better for this injury-ridden safety room, as all hands will have to be on deck when the Jayhawks take on Kansas State in the annual Dillons Sunflower Showdown on October 25th.
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