Last week saw what every Kansas fan was hoping for, as the Jayhawks stamped their early season authority in a week zero matchup against Fresno State. Head coach Lance Leipold's team soared to a 31-7 win, which oozed class for a majority of the proceedings. One of the few things missed for Kansas though was defensive end Dean Miller. Here is what Leipold said after the victory over the Bulldogs.
"He's [Miller] making progress. We think he's got a good chance to be out there Friday night, so, but kind of waiting and see...I don't know, I saw a lot of guys walking out of a tunnel with just a jersey on tonight, more to my liking at this time of the year, so hopefully we can get a few back, and hopefully we came out of this, we got a few guys dinged up tonight, and hopefully especially out a short week. It's tough, but we'll find a way."
Miller started all 12 games at defensive end last season for Kansas, where he compiled six sacks and 32 tackles to go along with 10.0 tackles for loss last season. Miller's six sacks were the sixth most in the Big 12 Conference.
Miller was nominated to the 2025 Shrine Bowl 1000 Preseason Watch List along with the Athlon Preseason All-Big 12 First Team Watch List. After finishing last season as a Second Team All-Big 12 player.
When Leipold spoke with the media earlier today, he gave a promising outlook on Miller's return.
"Dean practiced today, I'm feeling like he should be available [for Wagner]."
Updated depth chart for Wagner game. #kufball pic.twitter.com/qwdSTajrrC
— JayhawkSlant (@JayhawkSlant) August 25, 2025
This is a massive boost for Kansas, by no means were the Jayhawks bad last week. D.K. McDonald's group threw massive pressure at Fresno State quarterback E.J. Warner, forcing Warner to be unsettled on the move.
Kansas forced three sacks for 31 yards, and a total of 10 tackles for loss with a forced fumble and two interceptions, without Miller, meaning with the highly-touted defensive end, then Kansas should be even better.