The Kansas Jayhawk football program has a lot of question marks over next season. Not only is Lance Leipold reeling in a transfer class of 31 players, but he also has to prepare for life without former quarterback Jalon Daniels.
While bringing back an offensive mind like Andy Kotelnicki to run the offense is a big step in the right direction, Kansas will have to either employ Isaiah Marshall, Cole Ballard, or Chase Jenkins as QB 1 next Fall. The biggest problem with those options is that none of those three have ever played in the Big 12 before.
Not having a battle-tested QB is a worry, but Kansas has filled in the rest of the offense nicely with the addition of running back Dylan Edwards and the retention of wideout Cam Pickett.
While the 2025 season was one that saw a banged-up Edwards play just 34 snaps. His first year at Kansas State saw the former four-star notch 7.4 yards per carry, and 546 yards on the ground to go with five rushing touchdowns, and an additional two through the air.
Pickett, on the other hand, broke out during the 2025 season. The Ball State transfer finished the year leading the Jayhawks with 45 receptions, while adding a solid 476 yards and three touchdowns to follow suit.
CBS Sports predicts Pickett to do something that hasn’t been done in over a decade
Shehan Jeyarajah tipped Pickett to become a 1,000-yard receiver in his recent “Big 12 Bold Predictions” article.
“The last time the Jayhawks produced a 1,000-yard receiver was 2009, when Dezmon Briscoe and Todd Reesing connected 83 times for 1,337 yards,” quoted Jeyarajah.
Last season, Kansas’ offense ranked 88th in the country, putting up 211 passing yards per game.
“Needless to say, Pickett has a tall mountain to climb after posting 476 yards last season, but he's emerged as one of the most reliable pass-catchers in the Big 12.”
The redshirt senior finished his first season with the program with four games of over 50 yards, in games including Fresno State (77), UCF (64), Texas Tech (82), and Arizona (62).
“The redshirt senior led Kansas with 45 catches and posted at least three in each of his last seven games. With top receiver Emmanuel Henderson off to the NFL, Pickett will take on an even bigger role,” finished Jeyarajah.
Pickett is the most experienced returning receiver going into next season, which means that Jenkins, Marshall, and Ballard will all use him as a crutch and their first read during most situations. With the right development under Kotelnicki, Pickett can very easily become one of the most dangerous players the Big 12 has to offer.
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