A month from today, the Kansas Jayhawks will be suiting up for their season-opener against Long Island University, as they look to recover from back-to-back 5-7 seasons.
Yet despite the season rapidly approaching, there is still one question lingering on everyone’s mind: Who will be starting under center?
This has been the hot topic of Kansas football since their season-ending 31-21 loss to the Utah Utes. The two leading contenders for this battle are redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall and redshirt junior Cole Ballard. Both seem to be highly regarded by the staff, but neither has seen real action in the Big 12.
This week, Kansas head coach Lance Leipold spoke with the media about where the quarterback battle stands.
“We've never sat in a room and said, ‘let's make sure we're naming a starter by this point.’ And again, because of both guys doing a good job. I think our practice format allows us to get both guys a lot of equal reps and opportunities to be evaluated,” started Leipold.
Last season, Ballard notched a 45.5% completion rate, going for 108 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. On the ground, Ballard added 92 yards, averaging 6.1 per carry.
Marshall, meanwhile, finished his first year of action with 28 yards through the air and 160 on the ground across 15 attempts.
“There's a very high probability that you'll see both quarterbacks play in games this year”
“I don't want to lose sight of the fact that there's a time that whoever's gonna be out there the most needs to work with a certain set of guys. And we are aware of that, but I’ll say it now, and I’ll probably say it through camp, I think there's a very high probability that you'll see both quarterbacks play in games this year, and be used in multiple ways.”
Last season, Marshall was often worked into games beyond the game’s final minutes. Marshall was used for certain running plays to give former quarterback Jalon Daniels a break, and Marshall was largely positive when given the keys. Marshall’s highlight run came in Kansas’ final win of the season over the Oklahoma State Cowboys, where Marshall churned a 43-yard run in the Jayhawks’ 38-21 win.
Leipold later stated, “We don't want to get into where it's a flip-flop back and forth all the time.”
Further questions on an already tense battle
While Ballard is mostly tipped as the team’s starter from various pundits, it would be no surprise to see Marshall starting under center. The biggest thing no one wants is a constant change where neither quarterback feels stable at the helm, or a system where either gets subbed in, as then defenses can automatically key into what Kansas’ offense may be running. Both situations quickly turn what can be an exciting offense into a meek one.
Whoever is tasked with the starting job will have to work on an offense that finished last season ranked 77th in total yardage at just 368.8 yards per game.
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