Kansas University Football Roster: A Comprehensive Overview

The Kansas University (KU) football team has undergone significant roster changes, especially in recent times. This article delves into the composition of the team, highlighting key players, transfers, and the overall outlook for the upcoming seasons.

Active Players

The KU football roster boasts a diverse array of talent across various positions. Here's a glimpse at some of the active players:

Offensive Line: David Abajian, Kene Anene, Kobe Baynes, Calvin Clements, Enrique Cruz Jr., Nolan Gorczyca, Greydon Grimes, DeAndre Harper, Hank Kelly, Carter Lavrusky, James Livingston, Eli Richmond, Jack Tanner, Tavake Tuikolovatu, Antonio Wilson.
Quarterbacks: Cole Ballard, Jalon Daniels, Isaiah Marshall, David McComb, Mikey Pauley.
Running Backs: Daniel Hishaw Jr., Micah Johnson, John Kelly, Harry Stewart III, Justin Thurman, Leshon Williams.
Wide Receivers: Bryson Canty, Bryce Cohoon, Donald Collier, Jackson Cook, Jaidyn Doss, Doug Emilien, Bryson Hayes, Emmanuel Henderson Jr., Keaton Kubecka, Levi Wentz, Mack Moeller, Isreal Moses V, Tate Nagy, Jaden Nickens, Cam Pickett.
Tight Ends: Carson Bruhn, Quinton Conley, Leyton Cure, Jaden Hamm, DeShawn Hanika, Boden Groen, Conlee Hovey.
Linebackers: Logan Brantley, Malachi Curve, Jayson Gilliom, Bangally Kamara, Trey Lathan, Cole Mondi, Joseph Sipp Jr., JaCorey Stewart, Ezra Vedral.
Defensive Line: Alex Bray, Dakyus Brinkley, Dylan Brooks, Kenean Caldwell, Marcus Calvin, Tommy Dunn Jr., Justice Finkley, Josiah Hammond, Adrian Holley, Garrett Martin, Cole Petrus, Caleb Redd, Jason Strickland.
Defensive Backs: Austin Alexander, Jameel Croft Jr., Jacoby Davis, Taylor Davis, Devin Dye, Jalen Dye, Syeed Gibbs, Aundre Gibson, DJ Graham II, Jahlil Hurley, Darrion Jones, Damani Maxson, Chris McCorkle, Jameer Moore, Lyrik Rawls, Laquan Robinson, Brandon Schmelzle, Jalen Todd.
Special Teams: Grayden Addison, Dane Efird, Efren Jasso, Finn Lappin, Laith Marjan.

Roster Dynamics and Changes

The composition of a college football roster is ever-evolving, with players entering and exiting through various avenues such as graduation, transfers, and recruitment. KU has been particularly active in the transfer portal, both acquiring and losing players.

Transfer Portal Activity

The transfer portal has become a significant factor in college football roster management. KU has strategically utilized the portal to address needs and bolster its squad.

Key Acquisitions

Nik McMillan (Wide Receiver): A standout addition, McMillan brings significant experience and production, coming off a near-1,000-yard season.
Running Back Transfers: KU has brought in two powerful players who were their respective schools’ leading rushers last season and each have multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Kasen Carpenter (Offensive Lineman): A redshirt junior from Oklahoma State, Carpenter aims to compete for a starting role.
Nick Morrow (Offensive Lineman): A redshirt junior from Cal, adding depth and competition to the offensive line.
Connor Stroh (Offensive Lineman): A redshirt junior from Texas, another addition to the offensive line.
Trezelle Jenkins Jr. (Offensive Lineman): Enhancing the depth of the offensive line.
Santiago (Defensive End): A solid pickup at defensive end, bringing versatility and experience.
Defensive Tackle Additions: KU has significantly bolstered its defensive tackle position with multiple additions through the portal.
Veteran Linebacker Transfers: The veteran transfers all have promise but lack proven production at the power-conference level.
Safety Additions: Gained a former starter for a 10-win Miami team and a versatile veteran who has been around the Big 12.
Martin Connington (Kicker): A transfer kicker with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Gill (Punter): An Australian punter with a background in Australian rules football.
Monteforte (Long Snapper): A long snapper with experience at two power-conference programs.

Key Departures

Johnny Thompson Jr.: Transferred, impacting the running back depth.
Stewart: Transferred down a level, albeit to a school with a stellar record of developing NFL running backs.
Jaidyn Doss (Wide Receiver): Transferred after not playing in 2025.
Redshirt Sophomores Exodus: The departure of several redshirt sophomores helped KU rebalance its classes.
Mercer (Center): His departure created a need for a replacement at the center position.
Joseph Sipp Jr. (Linebacker): His initial announcement to enter the portal created uncertainty in the linebacker group.
Jameel Croft Jr. (Cornerback): His departure led to the need for impactful additions in the secondary.
Lyrik Rawls (Safety): His transfer to a fellow Big 12 school created a need to bolster the safety depth.
Efren Jasso (Punter): His departure led to the need for a new punter.

Positional Breakdowns

A closer look at each position group reveals the strengths, weaknesses, and overall depth of the KU football team.

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Quarterbacks

The quarterback position is crucial for any football team. The staff had great hopes, KU has not brought in another quarterback. For a long time it seemed the staff might well have been content to let Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall battle it out for the starting role; however, multiple reports suggested KU was bringing in Rice transfer Chase Jenkins to visit. How that recruitment proceeds could obviously have a significant impact on the outlook for KU’s offense in 2026.

Running Backs

The running back unit has seen significant turnover, with both departures and acquisitions. KU certainly traded up by bringing in two powerful players who were their respective schools’ leading rushers last season and each have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

Wide Receivers

The wide receiver corps has been bolstered by the addition of Nik McMillan, a first-team all-conference skill-position player coming off a near-1,000-yard season.

Tight Ends

It was a bit of a surprise to see KU go for two new players here when it only lost one reserve to the portal and already has two freshmen, Kevin Sullivan and Jack Utz, to replace its two graduating contributors, Boden Groen and DeShawn Hanika.

Offensive Line

The offensive line has undergone a significant transformation with the addition of multiple redshirt juniors from other programs. If nothing else, the exodus of redshirt sophomores was going to help KU rebalance its classes a little bit, which it did by replacing them with numerous redshirt juniors. Of course it was unfortunate for the Jayhawks to lose three players whom they spent two years developing without ever getting them on the field, as well as a fourth, Mercer, who was in line to be the starting center next year. Time will tell whether Carpenter proves an adequate replacement, if he does well enough during the offseason to win the starting job outright.

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Defensive Line

At defensive end, Santiago is a solid pickup. Given his background as a former linebacker, though, there are still some questions about who will contribute at the strong-side spot along with Alex Bray, especially with how much the Jayhawks like to deploy multiple fronts these days. They could theoretically move a returning player like Dakyus Brinkley or Leroy Harris III over there too, although both did well getting after the quarterback at times in 2025. At defensive tackle, meanwhile, KU may have had its most successful offseason of any one position. The Jayhawks were set to return only Blake Herold, Marcus Calvin and Josiah Hammond - only the first two played last year - in a group where they have been known to play as many viable players as they have.

Linebackers

KU’s biggest move of the offseason in this position group might well have been retaining Trey Lathan after he initially announced on Jan. 1 that he would enter the portal. If he hadn’t chosen to come back, Crouch would have made for a solid replacement, but depth behind him could have been an issue. Now KU should have a much better situation behind Lathan than it did in 2025 when Sipp was injured. The rest of the veteran transfers all have promise but lack proven production at the power-conference level (Willis hasn’t played much and Watson’s most fruitful season was at Marshall).

Defensive Backs

Last year, KU had to essentially pick up the pieces in this group after losing a couple of All-American-caliber cornerbacks. The Jayhawks deployed a combination of promising but inexperienced underclassmen and up-and-down veteran transfers in 2025, and it was a rough year for the secondary overall. The good news this time around is that nearly all those contributors are back and one year older and wiser, and the players who left would have been buried on the depth chart, meaning KU was able to replace them with more impactful additions.

Special Teams

The last-minute addition of Jasso last summer had seemed like a move to plan ahead for 2026, given that he ended up redshirting, but instead he was one of the first Jayhawks to announce he would enter the portal. KU loaded up on new scholarship additions to its special-teams unit, although it could be difficult for them to stack up to the quite successful 2025 group. Connington was a bit erratic in his first year as a starter with the Spartans but has three seasons left in which to develop. Gill, technically not a portal addition, comes from the punter factory that is Australia (and Gill used to play Australian rules football) but originates from a new organization, the Australian Kicking Academy, so it’ll be interesting to see how well his skills translate. Monteforte might not look like the prototypical football player at 5-foot-7, 210 pounds, but that hasn’t stopped him from snapping well at two power-conference programs.

Roster Size and Scholarship Limits

The abolition of scholarship limits in favor of 105-player overall roster limits has changed the dynamics of college football. Schools can also exempt some players, mostly walk-ons, if they classify them as Designated Student-Athletes. KU has reconstituted what is essentially a normal-sized roster, even if it could theoretically go even further above 86.

Read also: The University of Kansas explained

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