To put it mildly, the Kansas Jayhawks have stumbled out of the gates of the 2026 season and have done so in about every way imaginable. For one, a 1-2 record, where in both losses, KU clearly were their own worst enemy.
And second, injuries. The Jayhawks have been littered with injuries since the preseason (including running back Yasin Willis, who will likely be out the remainder of the season), and that has forced head coach Lance Leipold to resort to adding players to the roster despite already being three games into the season and with October on the doorstep.
Earlier today, during his weekly press conference, Leipold spoke on two different additions made to the roster since Kansas’ 24-17 loss to Arizona State in defensive tackle Clifton Thompson and running back Chase Belcher.
A separate article will be published on Thompson's sudden addition to program here following this.
Belcher is needed to help with Kansas’ sputtering offense
“Both young men got in this weekend, going through the activation periods that are gonna be needed,” opened Leipold during the news-packed 20-minute presser on Monday.
“…When the opportunity by rule and roster slots presented itself, we decided to make this move…As I talked to them, there's no guarantees in this. We expect you to do what everyone else does, but, obviously, we hope that they can contribute in some way, as they progress here in the upcoming weeks.”
Belcher comes from Kennesaw State, where he spent one season as an Owl for a team that went 10-4 in Conference USA in 2025.
Across 107 carries, Belcher notched 566 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaging 43.5 yards per game. The 6-foot-0 redshirt senior is also a threat in the passing game, adding 194 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air with 13 receptions.
Prior to his one season with the Owls, Belcher spent one season at West Georgia in 2024, going for 240 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns, along with 422 all-purpose yards.
In 2023, Belcher played for Northern Arizona, rushing for 336 yards with 57 carries and 3 rushing touchdowns, adding 136 receiving yards on 18 receptions and 1 touchdown.
Belcher also threw for 2 scores, completing 75% of his four attempts for 130 yards.
While Belcher was an unorthodox add to the roster, that doesn’t mean he is going to be a non-factor all season. Returning offensive coordinator and associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki has built his most successful offense on rushing attacks. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons. KU averaged 174.3 and 202.8 yards per game on the ground.
Through three games of this season, Kansas has averaged 129.5. And unfortunately, the tasks don’t get much easier. Following the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, the Jayhawks will truly begin an eight-game slog against Big 12 opposition, meaning that if they want any chance at a bowl, the rushing attack has to see improvement.
Kickoff against Middle Tennessee is set for 11 a.m. CT with streaming available on ESPNU.
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