The talk around Lawrence, Kan, and the future of the Jayhawks’ football program (whether rightly or wrongly) lies on the shoulders of whoever Andy Kotelnicki and Lance Leipold deem fit enough to stand under center.
Whether it is redshirt junior Cole Ballard, redshirt junior Chase Jenkins, or redshirt sophomore Isaiah Marshall, no one really knows, and that is a statement that can be interpreted positively or negatively depending on your outlook on the 2026 iteration.
What the numbers say on Kansas’ options
If the game were played on paper, it would be hard to discount Chase Jenkins from the QB1 slot. Jenkins is the only member of the trio with valuable experience (even if it wasn’t inside a power conference). Jenkins has suited up in 17 games at quarterback over three years, with his redshirt freshman season seeing him line up as a wideout over two games. In those 17 starts at quarterback, Jenkins notched nine passing touchdowns to three interceptions for 1,125 yards and a 69.1% completion rate.
It is on the ground where Jenkins has excelled. In 165 career attempts, the three-star transfer totaled 613 yards and six rushing touchdowns. Last season, Jenkins notched 44.3 rushing yards per game for a Rice team that finished 5-8.
Yet, Jenkins’ name has shied away from starting quarterback talks, leaning towards his future role is likely as a backup.
Marshall is an exciting name that popped a few times last season. In 15 rushes last Fall, Marshall notched 160 yards for 10.7 per carry. His passing game saw a pretty limited 28 passing yards over three attempts.
However, in David Cobb’s latest article titled “College football QB tiers: Arch Manning, Dante Moore lead top group in 2026 class,” Ballard got the nod ahead of both Marshall and Jenkins.
Ballard’s sub-labeled as “Internal promotion”
The subheading under internal promotion reads, “Patience paid off. These players did not transfer and are now in line to earn starting jobs after they spent most or all of the 2025 season as reserves.”
Ballard was ranked fourth out of a possible five, landing behind Alessio Milivojevic (Michigan State), KJ Jackson (Arkansas) and Chris Vizzina (Clemson).
“Ballard is entering his fourth season in the program with 64 career pass attempts. He must beat out Isaiah Marshall, who is a fleet-footed redshirt sophomore. Regardless of who wins the battle, the Jayhawks will rely on an unproven internal option as they seek a return to bowl eligibility after consecutive 5-7 seasons,” writes Cobb.
While there are mixed feelings over which quarterback will get the start come week one, Ballard’s name appeared more as if it were the favorite following spring camp, and while Marshall was recruited by Kotelnicki prior to his exit to Happy Valley, there is still plenty of time for either of the two (and Jenkins) to pry the starting spot away from the others.
The Jayhawks get a decent enough tune-up against LIU in week one, before jumping straight into the deep end against SEC foe Missouri, before their overseas trip to the historic Wembley to take on Arizona State in the Union Jack Classic.
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