The Kansas Jayhawks will almost always have to be a program that feels like it does more with less. No, this isn’t disregarding the Gateway Project or all the great renovations currently underway at David Booth Kansas Memorial. But until KU can push itself out of the shadow of Kansas Basketball, its football program will be perceived as having less.
Which makes getting the recruiting decisions off the field right that much more important.
Today’s goal is to pick out the Jayhawks’ three biggest recruiting surprises on the gridiron since 2020.
No. 3 Cobee Bryant
Bryant joined KU as a three-star safety, where he immediately catapulted himself to KU stardom. Even as a true freshman, Bryant got to see the heights of the Lance Leipold era and be a key contributor in it as well. Bryant left the Jayhawks with 128 tackles, 13 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and 10 tackles for loss, the best stat to describe Bryant’s career with Kansas is that he is the only Jayhawk in Big 12 history to be named Big 12-All First Team in three straight seasons.
Bryant is now plying his trade in the NFL and will soon be entering his second season with the Atlanta Falcons.
No. 2 Jalon Daniels
It would have been a stretch to say that No. 61 dual-threat signal-caller out of the class of 2020 was going to turn into a cult hero.
Like Bryant, Daniels played a big part in Kansas’ best moments since the days of Mark Mangino. Daniels wasn’t perfect and it certainly did feel like there were moments where you would have liked to have seen him take the reins a little bit more.
But Daniels truly ranks only behind Todd Reesing in program legacy at quarterback. And if you had said that would be the career of the 98th-ranked player from California, not many people would have turned down that offer.
Daniels leaves the Jayhawks with 9,282 yards through the air, to go along with 67 passing touchdowns and 31 interceptions. On the ground, he adds 23 more rushing touchdowns. And it may take next season’s indecisive quarterback battle to truly show the impact of Daniels’ departure.
Daniels went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but soon signed a free agent deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
No. 1 Dominick Puni
Anytime an unranked player makes their way to the NFL, especially via a third-round draft pick, they have to top a list like this. Puni measured out a decent first four seasons at the University of Central Missouri, earning conference Honorable Mention nods in 2019, while playing himself across the offensive front. However from the second he joined KU, he became a star. Puni finished his first season under Leipold as an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention, just for his second season to be even better.
Puni’s 2024 campaign was one to marvel at as he didn’t allow a single sack in 745 snaps while getting himself an All-Big 12 First Team nod. Puni has now carved himself a starting role with the San Francisco 49ers.
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