The Kansas Jayhawk football program is in the midst of a revamp.
After back-to-back 5-7 seasons, things had to change. Whether it was changes brought on by head coach Lance Leipold or from the departing players is up for debate, but the bottom line is that there were changes made. Kansas imported 31 new transfers, along with a freshman class that comprises 18 newcomers.
Leipold also reeled back former associate head coach/offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to the same position, in an attempt to fix an offense that stalled in clutch situations last year.
But with all this change surrounding every major position group, the offensive side of the ball will have to be heavily fixated on one key player. Wideout Cam Pickett.
Why Cam Pickett is Kansas’ best chance at getting an offensive player into the All-Big 12
In an offense with so much change from top to bottom, being able to have a reliable pair of hands to check down to will be everything.
You see, everyone knows that without longtime quarterback Jalon Daniels under center, either Cole Ballard, Chase Jenkins, or Isaiah Marshall will be employed as QB1. The problem is, none of them have valuable experience in the Big 12, which means they will all need their outlet. Pickett can serve as exactly that.
The 6-foot-0 Pickett reeled in 45 receptions last season for 476 yards and three total touchdowns split between Fresno State and Wagner. Pickett notched four games of 50+ yards and five games with at least five receptions.
Let’s take a peek behind the curtains at the rest of Kansas’ wideout room besides Pickett. There will be redshirt senior Nik McMillian senior Nahzae Cox, freshman Nate Sims, freshman Tyren Parker, freshman Corbin Glasco, sophomore Tate Nagy, redshirt junior Isreal Mises V, redshirt junior Keaton Kubecka, redshirt freshman Bryson Hayes, redshirt freshman Jackson Cook and redshirt sophomore Donald Collier.
Of all the names listed above. Kubecka was the only one who played at KU last season who built any type of repertoire, ending the season with 17 receptions for 157 yards.
Yes, Kotelnicki will be taking the reins of the offense, so for every player, whether new or returning, there will be some changes made, but previous offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski is still at the program and is now tasked with passing game coordinator, meaning not all will be different for Pickett.
Who else could fit the mold and become one of the conference’s elite?
The most obvious candidate is former Kansas State running back Dylan Edwards. Edwards broke out in his first year with the Wildcats in a campaign that ended with Edwards reaching 546 yards, on 74 attempts, and seven touchdowns from scrimmage. The biggest risk with nominating Edwards is that he may be splitting reps with fellow transfer back Yasin Willis. While Willis is a much more forceful running back, a different archetype than Edwards, the pair will likely be eating into one another's snaps, depending on the game state.
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