By most metrics, the KU offense has struggled this season.
As of publication, the Jayhawks rank No. 98 in yards per game at 334.0 and 98th in scoring at just 19 points per game against FBS opposition, while Missouri and Arizona State are consistently near the top of most team rankings, with Big 12 competition so close to getting fully underway that level of defense can be expected throughout the remainder of the season.
For offensive coordinator and associate head coach Andy Kotelnicki, this sputtering of an offense is a complete mismatch to what he has built up over his time in power-conference football.
In Kotelnicki’s last two seasons before making the move to Happy Valley for the Penn State offensive coordinator gig, Kansas had developed itself into one of the country’s most explosive offenses.
In 2022, Kansas’ first bowl season since 2008, KU ranked No. 33 in total yards per game at 432.8. A year later, when the Jayhawks finished the season averaging 439.9 yards, they achieved a stellar 9-4 record.
To make matters worse, Kansas has been dealt a bad hand in injury luck so far, recently receiving the news that running back Yasin Willis was likely to miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery last week following the Jayhawks' 24-17 Union Jack Classic loss.
Lance Leipold reveals his belief in Andy Kotelnicki
With Kansas’ offense struggling so early into the season, it can be easy to begin let doubt creep into whether or not this offense can be turned around to turn the 2026 slate into a six-win season.
However, in Lance Leipold’s latest Hawk Talk appearance earlier this month, the sixth-year head coach reaffirmed his faith in Kotelnicki’s ability.
“I think there's multiple things that make Andy excellent at what he does.
“One is, I want to say, we're very multiple in what we do. The shifts, the motions, all the different things, he's very creative.
Leipold’s rise through the coaching ranks has largely been with Kotelnicki as his right-hand man. Up until Kotelnicki’s move to the Penn State Nittany Lions, the two had been working together since 2013.
“But the thing that makes Andy really well is that the plays that we run always have a complementary play that goes with it. If there's a run play, there's gonna be a pass that goes with it. There's something we're doing in the passing game. We're gonna have something that's gonna also set it up and go, and hand in hand, and I think that's what he does, and he believes in what he does. Again, I think he's still one of the best in the business.”
What will it take for the Jayhawks’ offense to get back to usual
While moments against Arizona State were promising, it looks like the biggest thing this offense needs is more time to grow consistent in all facets.
It starts with ensuring a strong rushing attack, which KU is attempting with Dylan Edwards and Jalen Dupree now backfilled with Chase Belcher and former safety Khijohnn Cummings-Coleman. If Kansas can find a way to get that rotation healthy and clicking, there will be a lot of pressure off of Isaiah Marshall’s shoulders, which could be exactly what the reshirt sophomore needs.
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