Last season, the Kansas Jayhawks fell short in several different ways defensively. For one, KU allowed at least 500 yards in three of its seven losses last year. Kansas also allowed an opposing 42.86% third-down conversion rate last year that ranked No. 97 in the country.
Those are just two of the many stats that could be presented as to why Kansas’ defense faltered last season.
Of all the places that needed improvement from last Fall, linebacker Tre Lathan was one of the few consistent pieces who shone.
Lathan finished his first season with the Jayhawks with 86 tackles, including seven for loss, one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks. He then earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention nominations before announcing his intention to hit the NCAA Transfer Portal, which quickly forced KU fans into a panic.
To help support Lathan, head coach Lance Leipold and his staff reeled in 15 defensive transfers in the offseason in a transfer portal class that finished as the nation’s 53rd-best.
However, Lathan had a short stay in the portal, withdrawing his name two weeks after entering, officially making him the cornerstone of Kansas’ defense ahead of next season.
During Big 12 Media Days, Lathan spoke on the team’s biggest improvements that they needed to make ahead of next season.
Lathan tells KU fans what they already know
“Just tackling and standing in our gaps. It cost us some games, so we just hammered tackling and staying in our gaps. You know, everybody playing their 1/11.”
Last season, it was evident during several different instances that individual Jayhawks often hit a certain gap too early or too late, creating a nigh-on impossible angle for a tackle.
In games against Missouri, Cincinnati and Arizona, big run plays either iced the game or set the opposition up for an easy touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Against the Tigers, with the game still in the balance, a 63-yard run from Jamal Roberts down the left with 1:49 to play pushed Missouri to a two-score lead.
A few weeks later against the Bearcats, Tawee Walker’s 17-yard rush set Cincinnati up with just two yards to go, as one play later, Walker waltzed into the end zone to give the Bearcats the go-ahead touchdown that gave way to a 37-34 win for Scott Satterfield’s side.
Finally, in a game that could have sealed a third bowl game in five seasons for Leipold, Quincy Craig’s 24-yard run with 39 seconds to play catapulted the Wildcats on top with a 24-20 lead that began a three-game losing streak for the Jayhawks that ended the season at 5-7.
Overall, the Jayhawks’ run defense ranked 105th worst in the nation last year as KU gave up an average of 184.1 rushing yards
While the results will likely take time to gel, this is a season where time is of the essence as the Jayhawks play two power-conference opponents in their first three games, immediately demanding success for a team in a drought.
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