There are several question marks about what constitutes reasonable expectations for Kansas Football next season.
For one, Kansas is set to take on a very hard schedule that comprises a trip overseas for the Union Jack Classic, an away Sunflower Showdown, and away trips to Utah and Oklahoma State, and to make things worse, the Jayhawks’ bye week is planted after just three weeks of the season.
To make matters worse, this will be a season that will see an uncomfortable amount of changes on the defensive front.
Kansas is reeling in 16 defensive transfers to outpace the 14 outgoing players via the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Through all of these changes, very few things will be similar from last season, really, barring the retention of defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald; nothing will be a copy and paste from the 2025 campaign.
Which is why linebacker Trey Lathan will be Kansas’ best chance at getting all-conference honors.
Lathan’s career-long productivity makes him one of KU’s greatest assets
Lathan spent three years as a member of the West Virginia Mountaineers before making the move west to Leipold and Co. In three seasons at West Virginia, Lathan notched 112 tackles in 22 games, to go with 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended.
However, with a regime switch that brought back fan-favorite Rich Rodriguez to West Virginia, Lathan entered the portal and was immediately rated as the nation’s No. 740 transfer and No. 42 linebacker prospect.
Lathan immediately stepped into a starting role with the Jayhawks and looked consistently comfortable in a team with several gaps.
In his first season at Kansas, Lathan put together 86 tackles with seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, five passes defended, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Lathan’s early-season excellence drew plaudits from ESPN, which labeled Lathan as one of
“College football September transfer Surprises.”
Following the Jayhawks’ disappointing 5-7 season, Lathan entered the portal for two weeks; however, he ended up returning to a linebacker core that endured a facelift, bringing in five new linebackers to fit alongside Lathan.
A handful of others may compete for the same honors
Former four-star commit, Dak Brinkley, was thought of as a possible competitor as Brinkley combined for 15 tackles last season, including five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, however his lack of experience raised too many questions about him.
Michigan State transfer defensive end David Santiago was also under consideration, as with Air Force and the Spartans, Santiago notched 62 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles.
No matter who becomes Kansas’ standout next season, it should be made clear that the Jayhawks need an improved defense. No, Kansas’ offense did them no favors through certain segments of last Fall, but Kansas allowed 409.5 yards per game, ranking No. 95 in the nation last year, bottoming as one of the worst power-conference teams in that regard, along with 28.5 points given up per game last season, planting KU No. 85.
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