Eyeing an even sweeter sophomore season
By Henry Greenstein hgreenstein@ljworld.com
A sophomore year can go one of two ways, to hear Kansas soccer coach Nate Lie tell it.
In one case, a sophomore can keep moving forward, can “kick on,” as Lie says: “You go from (a) freshman, getting your feet wet, steady player, ups and downs, and then sophomore year they look like they have ownership, they look like they have leadership and they take that huge step. I’ve seen that.”
And then on the other hand a player can take a significant step back.
“Sometimes it’s easier to come in without expectations,” Lie said, “and you just play more free, and then as you step up in expectation, are given more responsibility, there is a trend over time that that can weigh on players and they have a tough year.”
The 2025 season will be the sophomore year for quite a few of Lie’s key contributors from last season — goalkeeper and newly minted captain Sophie Dawe and midfielders Jillian Gregorski and Kate Langfelder, among several others.
It is also the sophomore year for Lie’s coaching staff, one that vastly exceeded all expectations in its first year. Picked to finish in a tie for 12th in the Big 12 Conference, the Jayhawks came in sixth, then won the Big 12 Championship title to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Now it’s time for the coaches and players to work to avoid the classic sophomore slump.
“We have players that definitely have the experience, that we counted on and called on them in the biggest moments, and … we lost a fair share of talent and leadership as well,” Lie said.
“The dynamic of our leadership group is different, and we need new players to step up and kind of assume new roles.”
In general, the core of the memorable 2024 team is
back. It starts upfront with the forward duo of senior Lexi Watts and redshirt junior Saige Wimes, who were so key to implementing Lie’s preferred highpressure style, forcing blunders by opposing teams and capitalizing with high regularity. (For example, Watts created a mistake by TCU’s goalkeeper and was brought down in the box, leading to the game-winning penalty kick in the Big 12 tournament championship.)
After a slow start to last year, Watts, a Lenexa native,
tallied nine goals in her final 16 matches and finished the season as KU’s leading scorer. Lie said she has the opportunity to be “the tip of the spear” and that conference- and nationwide honors are within her reach (she was first-team allleague last year).
“She’s a talented player and one that has the ability to change games, one that has the ability probably to help elevate us to the next level,” Lie said. “She’ll have a target on her back to some extent, but if that’s what
teams choose to do, I think and I hope that we have the firepower to punish them other ways.” Those ways include Wimes, who has had a successful summer with Minnesota Aurora FC in the USL W League, as well as Gregorski, who kept up her strong scoring pace from her first year during the spring. Oregon transfer Livvy Moore also brings what Lie has called a new “talent and versatility in the final third.” Wimes wasn’t the only Jayhawk with a productive summer.
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KANSAS DEFENDER OLIVIA PAGE celebrates with teammates after defeating Texas Tech during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 6 in Kansas City, Mo.
Rebuilt roster meets new stadium
By Henry Greenstein hgreenstein@ljworld.com
Head coach Lance Leipold and his staff have always tried to implement what they call a “culture of competition.”
If the Kansas football team succeeds in 2025, it will be as a direct result of that culture. Gone is nearly everyone who had a firm grip on a starting spot in 2024. Many of those players had held those places for years at a time as they helped rebuild the Jayhawks.
In are dozens of new transfers from all sorts of programs — SEC, Big 12, FCS, Division II — who share a common hunger for new opportunities. The hope for KU is that this influx of new talent will also motivate the returning players from last season, particularly at spots like linebacker where promising young talents have been waiting in the wings.
“Our guys know that there are positions up for grabs,” Leipold said in the spring. “Everybody’s working. The next big question is when some of those are decided, how do we react if we’re not the guy, how do we have the same competitive work ethic to either continue to compete for the job or accept the role but not be satisfied with it?”
Besides the comprehensive turnover in player personnel, the offseason brought big changes around the Anderson Family Football Complex. Following a
Soccer
“One thing that I think is unique about our program and differentiates us a bit is the amount of ownership we give our players on how they spend their summer,” Lie said. “We kind of buck convention in not bringing them back early … and the reason we do that is to provide them the opportunity to grow and get experiences that help them in the future.”
That could be in the realms of academics or career development, or for some players it could mean additional opportunities to grow on the field. Dawe and Moore, for example, had the chance to train with and play for KC Current II (including in the 7-on-7 The Soccer Tournament).
“Our basis in making this decision is that we trust the group, we trust their professionalism,” Lie said. “We think that they’re aligned with the goals of the program, that they’ll show up on day one recharged, fit and ready to go.” Dawe, who also went to an under-20 U.S. national team camp, will be one of the most important Jayhawks in 2025. She seized the starting job in goal as a redshirt freshman and ranked among the best in the Big 12 with 0.86 goals against average.
KU lost a couple notable players in the midfield to graduation, but “skeleton key” Langfelder is back after starting every game as a freshman, along with other contributors like Gregorski, Lauren Wood, Emika Kawagishi and Emily Tobin.
The greater uncertainty for the Jayhawks is along the back line, even though two of the captains are there: Caroline Castans, a strong defensive presence and also a threat up the wing, had an outstanding season and was another first-team all-conference pick, and Brooke
disappointing 5-7 campaign that concluded memorable careers like those of Devin Neal, Cobee Bryant and Mello Dotson on a somewhat sour note, KU saw more significant staff changes than in any previous year under Leipold.
Offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes left for the same role at Wisconsin after a single year with the Jayhawks; he was replaced by quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski. Defensive coordinator Brian Borland,
previously Leipold’s sole DC between stints at Buffalo and KU, retired; cornerbacks coach D.K. McDonald, a former NFL assistant who had been at KU for one season, was promoted in his place.
Analyst Brandon Shelby took up the role of defensive backs coach, and former analyst Matt Lubick returned to KU after one season at Nebraska to serve as KU’s co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.
The most visible change
The Jayhawks won’t have to depend nearly as heavily on freshmen in 2025 as they did in Lie’s first campaign, but Lie has previously expressed optimism about certain skills forward Faith Johnston and midfielder Marit McLaughlin provide that KU previously lacked. They both enrolled early and will be joined by the rest of their class this fall.
KU opens its season at home on Thursday against Missouri State, a team that dominated its conference last season. The Jayhawks have five nonconference home matches this year, including against “maybe the best program in the country” in Florida State on Aug. 28.
of all is to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, to which the Jayhawks will return on Aug. 23 for the season opener against Fresno State. The Booth has undergone comprehensive renovations to its north and west ends as part of phase one of KU’s Gateway project, and last year the Jayhawks had to split their home games between Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, while it was
under construction.
They’ll be spending plenty of time at the newlook Booth as they host seven home games over the course of a longer-thanusual season, given that it starts with a “week zero” game before most teams even begin the year. Road trips will take KU to new places like Orlando, Florida, and Tucson, Arizona, concrete demonstrations of the Big 12’s cross-country expansion, but before the Jayhawks even get there,
they will renew the Border Showdown rivalry by traveling to face Missouri in their nonconference finale on Sept. 6. It’s an interesting season for KU and the wide-open Big 12 that will demonstrate just how effective KU’s roster construction has been under Leipold. His last few rosters were characterized by continuity; outside of several key players like quarterback Jalon Daniels and running back Daniel Hishaw Jr., this one is decidedly not.
Otto returns after missing the conclusion of her junior season due to injury.
Olivia Page is also back. However, Mackenzie Boeve graduated and Assa Kante transferred to Georgia. KU’s coaching staff placed an emphasis on recruiting center backs in the spring portal.
“It was a different experience for us,” Lie said, “where in the past, when we first started, it felt like we had to build depth, build quality, at most if (not) all positions, whereas in this transfer portal we were pretty laserfocused on the back line and boosting our depth and our ability to compete at center back specifically.”
Fiona Skwierawski, who joins KU after three years at Minnesota (a team that reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament), also has experience starting at outside back. Maya Mathis, who comes from UConn, was hampered by injury in each of her first two collegiate seasons, Lie said.
“We made a pretty short list, and we feel really thankful that we were able to get two players at that position in our top tier where there weren’t that many options available,” Lie said.
“I’m still disappointed in our program’s performance at home last year,” Lie said, “and it’s been a point of emphasis that we have to perform better and strengthen our home-field advantage.”
As it was last year, the slate is constructed in such a way that KU could potentially position itself for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament — which was ultimately rendered irrelevant in 2024 by the Big 12 title.
“That’s something that I spoke about year one, and I don’t know if people remember, I said it day one and I said it in preseason, that I don’t know how realistic this is or isn’t, but when it came down to the end of the season, had we not won that Big 12 championship game I think we would have been right on the bubble,” Lie said. “And I think it was good for our team to experience that because then they understand how important every game is during the season.”
Big 12 play begins on Sept. 18 at Oklahoma State. When the regular season concludes, the Big 12 tournament is no longer taking place at CPKC Stadium and will instead be held at the campuses of TCU and Baylor.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
KANSAS FOOTBALL HOLDS ITS FIRST PRACTICE in the new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 1 in Lawrence.
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World KANSAS GOALKEEPER SOPHIE DAWE punches the ball away against Texas Tech during the Big 12 tournament at CPKC Stadium on Nov. 6, in Kansas City, Mo.
New players, coaches building chemistry
By David Rodish drodish@ljworld.com
The first thing Matt Ulmer did after taking over as Kansas volleyball coach was to figure out who was on his roster.
The 2024 Jayhawks team graduated seniors who played extensive minutes during the season. That left Ulmer to figure out who he had left on his team and how to supplement the talent that stayed on the team going into 2025.
“The first thing is trying to figure out who’s here and who wants to be here,” Ulmer said. “What’s amazing is how many people on the team that just really love KU. Whether it was (former coach) Ray (Bechard) or me, this is the place that they want to be.
“The conversations that we had with the returning team at the end of spring was, ‘Is this still the right fit for everybody after we’ve gone through a semester of training and competing in the spring?’ And the answer was a resounding yes. This is where everybody wants to be.”
Twelve of the 19 members of the 2024 team are back in Lawrence, including junior libero Raegan Burns, sophomore middle blocker Reese Ptacek (the Big 12 freshman of the year last season) and outside hitter Rhian Swanson, along with a variety of promising underclassmen.
Ulmer said he focused on adding different pieces to the roster at each position and creating a competitive environment in each practice. Now, less than a month away from the regular season, Ulmer likes where the roster stands.
Ulmer brought some familiar faces from the transfer portal to provide that competition. Senior
KANSAS MIDDLE
TOYOSI ONABANJO celebrates after scoring a point against Florida on Dec. 7 in Lawrence.
Onabanjo was one of several prominent seniors to graduate, leaving holes for new coach Matt Ulmer to fill.
pin hitter Audra Wilmes transferred from Washington, while sophomore setter Cristin Cline transferred from Oregon, where Ulmer coached in 2024 before taking the Kansas job. Senior libero Ryan White, previously at Oregon State, was signed to play at Oregon before Ulmer made the move to KU As for freshmen, three of KU’s signees — Selena Leban, Jovana Zelenovic and Aurora Papac — come from Europe. Logan Bell, the 2024 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, is the lone American signee. Ulmer called Bell “a great leader, a great culture kid.”
Ulmer starts every year with his team from scratch. The spring and summer are spent practicing the fundamental techniques
How well KU’s transfers and rising young players perform at spots like wide receiver, linebacker and cornerback will go a long way toward determining whether the Jayhawks can return to the postseason.
Quarterbacks: The 2025 season will serve as the final act in the long and winding career of Daniels, who began as a true freshman thrown to the wolves during the winless 2020 campaign under Les Miles, emerged on the national stage with KU’s shock victory over Texas in Leipold’s first season and cemented his status as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football when the Jayhawks jumped out to an unbeaten start the following year. Then came the bad breaks: a shoulder injury in the “College GameDay” matchup with TCU that cost him a chunk of that memorable season and, after he had been named the Big 12’s preseason player of the year ahead of 2023, the recurring back tightness that rendered him unable to play 10 of KU’s 13 games that season. The 2025 campaign has another medical element in play, as Daniels underwent a minor
2025 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 23 — Vanderbilt, 3 p.m., Lincoln, Nebraska
Aug. 25 — Penn State, 5:30 p.m., Sioux Falls, S.D. Aug. 29 — at Wisconsin, 6 p.m. Madison, Wis.
Aug. 31 — Creighton, 3:30 p.m. Madison, Wis. (neutral)
Sept. 3 — Bowling Green, 2 p.m., West Lafayette, Ind. (neutral) Sept. 4 — Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., West Lafayette, Ind. (neutral) Sept. 5 — at Purdue, 6 p.m., West Lafayette, Ind.
and tactics. That was particularly beneficial for the Jayhawks, as even those players who returned didn’t return with much game experience. By working the fundamentals as a team, the Jayhawks learn how to play together in their new system, starting at the basics.
“It’s an exciting time for them to get to learn the style of play that I’m hoping we can play and how they start playing together,” Ulmer said. “And this will be one of the keys for us this fall, is going to be how quickly we can handle this transition of gaining rhythm together.”
Chemistry and communication are important factors in all team sports, but with volleyball, communication is especially fast
with the speed of play.
“You have to rely on each other to have success,” Ulmer said. “A lot of it is nonverbal communication skills in a quick time. So you need to have some sort of relationship, and we need to be able to build that as quickly as possible.”
Kansas will start its season with Vanderbilt before facing the 2024 NCAA defending champion in Penn State and two 2024 Elite Eight teams in Wisconsin and Creighton. The Jayhawks will play seven teams that made the 2024 NCAA Tournament in non-conference play.
The early part of the schedule will be a challenge for the jelling Jayhawks, but Ulmer is more focused on ensuring the team plays at its best late
offseason surgery on his knee that limited him in sprint practice. But Leipold, at the conclusion of a Big 12 media day that undoubtedly featured endless questions about Daniels’ health, made sure to counter that narrative: “Jalon did not come out at any time last year (of) any game. Now did he have a cleanup surgery after the season? Yes. But he was there for us.”
Indeed, Daniels played all 12 games for KU in 2024, but it took until about halfway through the year for him to reclaim his previous form. For the quarterback himself, 2025 is about combining ability and availability.
“I think that this will be the year that I’m able to put everything together,” he said.
Redshirt sophomore Cole Ballard and redshirt freshman Isaiah Marshall will compete for a role as Daniels’ backup, with Ballard likely holding the edge based on his returning experience and continued growth as a team leader. True freshman David McComb enrolled early and could have a lot to say about where this position goes in 2026 and beyond. Running backs: Over the course of his four years in Lawrence — following the rest of his life lived in Lawrence before
in the season. If anything, Ulmer said too much pressure on early-season results can sabotage a team.
“I take a lot of pride that I think our teams have always played our best volleyball in December,” Ulmer said. “Very rarely have we not. We’re really trying to gear up for what the end of season will look like, which means I’m not trying to stress us out about making sure we’re playing our very best volleyball on day one.”
Still, those matches will be opportunities for the Jayhawks to play in challenging environments against the best in the country. They can bring valuable experiences for the Jayhawks as they hope for a deep playoff run.
that — Neal built an unparalleled legacy with the program and concluded his career as the Jayhawks’ all-time leading rusher.
Hishaw started his career before Neal and will continue it after the graduation of his longtime running mate. The bruising, powerful back has been responsible for some of the most famous highlight-reel runs of the Leipold era. He just hasn’t always been on the field for one reason or another. Early in his career it was a result of fluky, long-term injuries. In 2024, he dealt with injury, illness and a family matter that eventually cut his season short. That resulted in a downturn in production. By the spring, though, the arrow was pointing up for Hishaw. He expressed enthusiasm about playing at a leaner weight. Coaches said he was in the best headspace of his career and praised him for embracing a leadership role.
Hishaw’s new partner in the backfield is Iowa transfer Leshon Williams, whom KU flipped from Memphis in the early days of the portal back in December. A fellow sixth-year senior, Williams ran for 821 yards during the 2023 season and will figure prominently into KU’s plans for 2025.
Just how much anyone else will get to play is a bit of a mystery. Redshirt sophomore Johnny Thompson Jr. and redshirt
freshman Harry Stewart III are at least in the mix for snaps. Thompson may be the most elusive player in the backfield, so he provides a distinct skill set. Stewart had a buzzy freshman year but it didn’t necessarily amount to much action or a favorable position on the depth chart entering 2025.
Wide receivers: This position essentially became the focal point of the offseason, first when the graduations of Lawrence Arnold, Luke Grimm, Quentin Skinner and Trevor Wilson left massive holes for the Jayhawks to fill via the transfer portal, and then when several of the players they brought in garnered plenty of hype over the course of the offseason.
It starts with Emmanuel Henderson Jr. Even as a player with five career catches, the senior has made quite an impression on just about everyone around the program.
“When you turn on the Olympics and you watch the 100-meter sprinters, it looks like they’re floating,” tight end DeShawn Hanika said. “Even when he’s in full pads and he takes off, it just looks like he’s coasting. But then at the end of the day you see, you know, he hit 23 mph. And it’s like ‘Well, coach, I’m sorry, but I ain’t going to do that. That’s not in my cards.’”
Sept. 11 — Florida GUlf Coast, 4 p.m., Vermillion, S.D. (neutral) Sept. 12 — Green Bay, 4 p.m., Vermillion, S.D. (neutral) Sept. 13 — at South Dakota, 5 p.m., Vermillion, S.D. Sept. 16 — at Wichita State, 6 p.m. Wichita, Kan. Sept. 20 — at Omaha, 3 p.m. CT, Omaha, Neb. Sept. 21 — South Florida, 10 a.m., Omaha, Neb. (neutral) Sept. 21 — at Creighton, 5 p.m., Omaha, Neb. Sept. 26 — vs. Arizona State, 6 p.m. Sept. 28 — vs. Arizona, 1 p.m. Oct. 1 — at TCU, 6:30 p.m., Fort Worth, Texas Oct. 3 — at Baylor, 7 p.m., Waco, TexasOct. 8 — vs. Texas Tech, 6 p.m. Oct. 10 — vs. Iowa State, 6 p.m. Oct. 16 — at Houston, 7 p.m., Houston, Texas > VOLLEYBALL, 6C > Continued, 6C > STADIUM, 6C
Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World
BLOCKER
Kansas Athletics Photo
KANSAS’ JALON DANIELS THROWS against Baylor on Nov. 30 in Waco, Texas.
Bringing quality depth to the roster
By David Rodish drodish@ljworld.com
The Kansas cross-country teams are coming off a season in which they finished middle of the conference on both teams but retained most of their top runners.
In 2024, the Jayhawks’ men’s team finished seventh in the Big 12 conference and 12th of 29 teams in the NCAA Midwest regional, while the women’s team finished eighth in the conference and 13th of 33 teams in the regional. KU cross-country coach Stanley Redwine believes that, between their improved returners and incoming runners, the Jayhawks will perform better than before.
“We need quality depth, and I think we’ve tried to get some of that on both men’s and women’s (teams),” Redwine said, “so we’re looking forward to having a better season than we did last year.”
The men’s team had a number of freshmen serve important roles; three of the top seven runners in the Big 12 championship and NCAA Midwest Regional in 2024 were freshmen.
In total, six of the top seven runners on the men’s team are back, with only Cale Littrell having graduated among those who reached the regional meet.
Senior Tanner Talley placed 46th and led the team with a run of 23 minutes, 55 seconds in the Big 12 championship and 27th in the regional at 30:08.54.
“Talley’s a great leader,”
Redwine said. “He’s always been a team player and wants to do and has done everything he could to get the guys together and compete as a team.”
Beyond Talley, Redwine said the Jayhawks need quality depth, and that with the various returners on the men’s team, the depth could help the Jayhawks improve upon last year.
Senior Quenton Walion was the team’s second-best runner in the Big 12 championship race by placing 50th in 23:59.8. Junior
Sawyer Schmidt took third on the team in both meets, taking 53rd in the conference championship and 76th in the regional.
The three other returning runners making up the top seven were freshmen last year. Lenny Njoroge placed 62nd in the conference championship and 79th in the regional, Ryo Higuchi finished 68th in the conference race and 95th in the regional and Blake Wohler — a 2024 Free State graduate — came 70th in the conference race and
98th in the regional race.
On the women’s side, four of the team’s top seven runners from 2024 return, and the Jayhawks will have a strong senior class of seven.
Junior Emmaculate Jemutai is the team’s top returning runner, placing third on the team and 57th overall in the Big 12 championship and 61st overall in the regional, which was second on the team.
Jemutai carried her cross-country season into a strong indoor and outdoor
track and field year, and Redwine said she’s taken steps over the summer to be a leader for the team.
Between her and Tori Wingrove, who finished fourth on the team in both the conference championship and regional championship, Redwine is confident in the women’s team’s leadership.
The Jayhawks had six freshmen last year, and Kaitlyn Swartz had the most immediate success, finishing 83rd in the conference championship and
118th in the regional championship. Along with some promising incoming freshmen, Redwine believes there are several underclassmen who can take on larger roles this season.
“You want to get people that are going to make an immediate impact on the team, and we think these people can, and hopefully they will,” Redwine said. The Big 12 Conference fields some of the top competition in the country. BYU won both the men’s and women’s conference and national championships. Four of the Cougars’ top seven runners on the men’s team graduated, while only two on the women’s team were seniors.
Bailey Thompson/Kansas Athletics Photo
TORI WINGROVE AND OLIVIA KRUEGER run during the Bob Timmons Classic at Rim Rock Farm on Sept. 2, 2023.
Indeed, speed is Henderson’s calling card. The former five-star running back made the move to wide receiver and was pushed down Alabama’s depth chart by some of the top players in the nation before making the move to Lawrence in the winter.
Daniels recently marshaled seven of his top receivers for a bonding trip to California. He has a lot of new players to get used to. Beyond Henderson, the top contenders in the spring included Cam Pickett, a Ball State transfer with speed in the slot, and Levi Wentz, an Albany transfer who impressed with his contestedcatch prowess. Bryson Canty joined from Columbia over the summer.
A pair of returnees are still in the picture. Keaton Kubecka started his career strong before missing 2024 due to injury. Doug Emilien has both made key plays over the years and served as something of an unsung hero with his blocking ability.
KU’s freshmen at this position are likely redshirt candidates, although Tate Nagy did get mentioned as a possible return specialist during the spring.
Tight ends: Co-offensive coordinator and first-time tight ends coach Lubick has an intriguing group to work with, led by Hanika.
The former Iowa State transfer, who is entering his seventh year of college football, has not played in a competitive game since Nov. 26, 2022. Hanika sat out the entire 2023 season amid a state investigation into sports gambling (he had a misdemeanor charge for tampering with records dismissed), moved to KU and then missed 2024 with an Achilles injury.
“He’s been through a lot, and he’s become a leader of this team,” Leipold said. “He’s well respected in the
Volleyball
locker room, he works extremely hard. It’s been a frustrating road for him, I just know he’s thankful to be back out there.”
He was supposed to be joined by Keyan Burnett, another veteran transfer from Arizona, but Burnett returned to the Wildcats by hopping back in the portal after just a few months in Lawrence. KU responded by bringing in Boden Groen from Rice.
Leyton Cure is back and could take a step forward as a receiver after garnering just two targets last season, while Leipold expects Carson Bruhn, a redshirt freshman from Sioux Center, Iowa, to grow into a role of some sort by midseason.
Offensive line: In 2024, this group had a position battle at center raging well into fall camp — one that resulted in a victory for latesummer transfer Bryce Foster — and swapped its two tackles just weeks before the season. It all worked like a charm, as both of those tackles, Bryce Cabeldue and Logan Brown, went to the NFL, Foster became one of the team’s best players and the offensive line was remarkably consistent during a KU season that was anything but.
Position coach Agpalsa has another tall task ahead of him this year in replacing
“I like us playing those good teams right away in tough environments,” Ulmer said. “That’s why we went to Nebraska. I want everyone to see what that’s like. I want our goals to be playing in Final Fours and for national championships, so you want to be putting your team in as many of those situations as possible.
“I think once you get a taste of that, once you get some success, once you start seeing what that volleyball is like, hopefully you’re driven to want to play at the higher level each and every day.” That competition all comes before conference play in the Big 12, which sent six teams — including Kansas — to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 with a 15-3 conference record. Only Arizona State (17-1)
Brown, Cabeldue and guard
Michael Ford Jr. He is going to have to construct a functional line with a combination of young returnees taking on bigger roles and transfers who for one reason or another did not see significant action in the spring vying for starting spots.
Even with the Jayhawks’ returning starters, things aren’t totally steady. Foster, following a promising spring, underwent a cleanup surgery that cut into his availability for fall camp, though he will return for the season. In the meantime, KU has had to rely on Tyler Mercer, a true sophomore who transferred from North Texas, and Amir Herring, a former Michigan transfer who also plays guard, to anchor the line. Kobe Baynes, at least, is firmly ensconced at right guard after a quiet but steady season there in 2025.
The KU staff feels good about Lawrence native Calvin Clements as the Jayhawks’ present and future left tackle after seeing him in small doses late in the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Left guard and right tackle are the spots with the greatest uncertainty. Nolan Gorczyca has received plenty of offseason praise over the years that hasn’t necessarily manifested
itself in the form of playing time. He entered the spring as KU’s presumptive starter at right tackle but had to sit out after a few practices due to finger surgery and was replaced by Tulsa transfer Jack Tanner. The Jayhawks then proceeded to add a significant challenger in Enrique Cruz Jr., who played the entire 2023 season as Syracuse’s left tackle but was consigned to the bench in 2024.
Injuries also muddied the waters at left guard, where UCLA transfer Tavake Tuikolovatu missed the start of the spring and had to gradually work his way back into action, as another longtime reserve, James Livingston, played with the first team. KU has a lot to figure out up front over the course of August and perhaps even stretching into the regular season.
Defensive line: The Jayhawks will have a returning primary contributor at pass-rush defensive end for essentially the first time in the Leipold era after getting one year each of Kyron Johnson, Lonnie Phelps Jr. and Austin Booker, and he’s a good one.
Dean Miller combined his speed and agility with vastly increased mass and developed into a secondteam all-conference end, tallying six sacks and 9.5
had a better conference record.
While this is Ulmer’s first season coaching in the Big 12, his time at Oregon allowed him to see many of the teams he’ll see in the conference. From the former Pac-12 schools Ulmer’s teams faced in conference play to playing BYU and TCU during the 2024 season, Ulmer has an idea of the brands of volleyball
the Jayhawks and their foes will play.
“Midwest teams, generally, I feel like are kind of smashmouth defenders, a little bit bigger block, but maybe a little slower play,” Ulmer said. “We’ve been much faster in our offense, a little bit more dynamic. It’ll be interesting to see how that matches up, and I think that’s
tackles for loss, most of which he accrued in the latter part of the season. It’s not quite clear who else will play on the weak side beyond Miller. Bai Jobe didn’t make it a full year at KU before leaving for Miami (Ohio) after spring practice. Leroy Harris III joined the fold after a year at Chattanooga but could potentially redshirt, and Leipold has said it isn’t clear yet whether Kentucky transfer Caleb Redd could factor in this season or might need a year to develop.
Highly touted prospect Dakyus Brinkley has bulked up to 245 pounds and played both on the strong and weak sides during the spring. Texas transfer Justice Finkley, meanwhile, has brought a quiet and steady presence to the strong-side spot.
KU bolstered the strong side further with Illinois transfer Alex Bray, who at 6-foot-4 and 270 pounds brings a new level of physicality. Auburn transfer Dylan Brooks is also in the picture at end after working his way back from a torn ACL.
On the inside at tackle, Tommy Dunn Jr. and D.J. Withers are at this point wily veterans and shoo-ins for significant playing time, but as defensive tackles coach Jim Panagos said during the spring, “Right now I don’t know who’s going to start. That’s a good problem to have.”
That’s in large part because of redshirt sophomore Blake Herold.
“I think he’s going to be one that we’re talking a lot about in this program,” strength coach Matt Gildersleeve said during the spring. “It’s great to have Tommy and DJ upfront there but Blake doesn’t accept that answer … Blake doesn’t want to be the next guy in line. Blake wants to be the guy. And how good is that for DJ and for Tommy?”
The big offseason story at tackle was the return of Gage Keys, who flashed in 2023 and appeared poised for a big role the following
always fun for fans to watch.”
Ulmer said KU isn’t massive on the left side, trading size for ball control and a faster pace of play that helps create better opportunities for the outside hitters. The team’s setters, Cline, Katie Dalton and Ellie Moore, are athletic and help push the tempo.
“That allows us to play a little bit of a different game that maybe can help benefit us tactically,” Ulmer said. “It really makes sense for the group that we have.”
There’s a lot for the Jayhawks to work out ahead of the 2025 season, and the season opener on Aug. 23 against Vanderbilt is fast approaching. But Ulmer and the Jayhawks are ready to get started and see what the team can accomplish.
“I’m really encouraged based on our spring and what everybody’s intentions were,” Ulmer said. “I think this group is really excited. It’s hard to predict outcomes, but I’m excited for our process.”
year before opting to transfer to Auburn. Then the Tigers had multiple coaches leave shortly after his arrival. Keys barely played, and he found himself missing the relationships he had cultivated in Lawrence. He reconnected in the portal with Panagos, who told him he would have to build his way back up from the bottom, a challenge Keys happily accepted. Herold’s classmate Marcus Calvin is also set for a small rotational role after tirelessly working his way up during his first two seasons in Lawrence, and KU has one more key veteran presence at the position in Kenean Caldwell.
Linebackers: Outside of JB Brown, who is now with the Denver Broncos, this position lacked consistency in 2024. Middle linebacker and team captain Cornell Wheeler had an excellent start to the season derailed by an injury suffered in KU’s fourth game against West Virginia. Taiwan Berryhill Jr. struggled at times in place of Wheeler, and Jayson Gilliom, while ostensibly the Jayhawks’ primary option at their “Hawk” linebacker spot, played just 117 snaps all year as injuries and schematic considerations limited his effectiveness.
Speaking of scheme, it’s not clear exactly how McDonald wants to arrange his defenders behind the Jayhawks’ four-man front, but certain comments from the spring suggested KU could opt for a 4-2-5 look more often than it has in years past. That might mean less space for linebackers as a whole, even though KU has a seemingly higher-upside group than it did in previous seasons. The headliner is Bangally Kamara. A weak-side linebacker who can rush the passer off the edge, he’ll be playing in his third power conference after time with South Carolina and a longer stint at Pittsburgh, and has occupied a variety of positions along the way.
> LBs, 7C
Kansas Athletics Photo
NEW KU VOLLEYBALL COACH MATT ULMER speaks at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.
Journal-World Photo
KANSAS SOPHOMORE KEATON KUBECKA AND SENIOR EMMANUEL HENDERSON JR. watch during practice July 24 in Lawrence.
“He’s one of those guys, it looks like he’s not even trying sometimes because he’s a natural, efficient mover,” position coach Chris Simpson said.
KU’s other two transfer additions of the offseason were a pair of middle linebackers in Trey Lathan, who is used to the Big 12 from his time at West Virginia, and Joseph Sipp Jr., a hard hitter like his former Bowling Green teammate Brown, who helped sell Sipp on KU as his eventual destination.
There are more players vying for time at weak-side linebacker. Gilliom has been around the longest of anyone and has completed his transition to linebacker after starting his career as a safety. KU has always been high on Logan Brantley even as injuries have slowed him down in the early stages of his career. And redshirt freshman Jon Jon Kamara already has all the physical tools required as he continues to grow into the position.
Cornerbacks: Bryant and Dotson were each first-team All-Big 12 corners in 2024 and received All-American honors from separate publications. Bryant in particular had received first-team all-league honors each of the past three seasons, demonstrating the long-term consistency KU had at the top corner spot.
Now both players are on to the NFL, and the Jayhawks will need
to hope that their young players in the secondary are able to step up into vastly bigger roles.
Granted, there are some veteran presences at corner, even if they didn’t play for KU in years past. Most notable is D.J. Graham II, a Utah State transfer who reenters the Big 12 after starting his career at Oklahoma. Drawn to KU by the coaching staff and the high standard it sets for its players, Graham decided to spend his last year in Lawrence.
The Jayhawks added another veteran late in the game in Georgia Tech transfer Syeed Gibbs, with Leipold citing his experience as a nickel back as one of his primary appealing traits. That suggests an opportunity for true sophomore Jalen Todd to start on the outside.
Todd adapted quickly to college
have experienced people, and I think we have good leadership.”
“The caliber of athletes that’s in this conference is unbelievable,” Redwine said. “Last year, we had three teams in the top 10 at the NCAA (championships). All are great teams, and they’re not going to be easy to beat. I think in order to compete against someone like that, you have got to
West Virginia’s women’s team finished as the national runner-up, while Iowa State’s men’s team placed second behind BYU. Oklahoma State (eighth nationally for men’s teams and 27th among women’s teams), Colorado (19th nationally for men’s teams) and Utah (19th nationally among women’s teams) were all among the top teams to compete in the national championships.
ball, aided by his early enrollment in the spring of 2024. But he didn’t play much as a true freshman until a brief injury to Bryant at Arizona State thrust him into action on the outside. He started to garner more and more snaps as the slot corner and played a combined 88 in KU’s final two games.
“I think he’s really stepped into his role really, really well,” Shelby said. “I think he’s a guy that (when) I look back at spring is probably one of the guys that’s really a highlight of that secondary room. I’m very, very excited about him, his future, and he just needs to keep growing, keep learning the game.”
Further down the depth chart but still capable of contributing in 2025 are players like Alabama transfer Jahlil Hurley and redshirt freshman Austin Alexander, who
Redwine said it’s important for KU’s leaders to make sure everyone is strong and confident going into those meets knowing the caliber of competition they’ll face.
“We have to be able to compete against them physically and then mentally,” Redwine said. “The physical part comes first, and then I believe the mental part will help that by having confidence that they can do it. But you have to be in that shape first.”
The Jayhawks will
broke his wrist early last season but is starting to build confidence.
Safeties: A rash of injuries made it difficult to ascertain exactly what KU had at safety in 2024. Now-departed O.J. Burroughs and Marvin Grant had offered consistent presences over the years, but with Grant playing closer to the line of scrimmage for much of his final season, the spot next to Burroughs essentially became a revolving door. Devin Dye appeared in just six games, Jalen Dye in five and Mason Ellis in four. All are back for another year, but they’ll have to battle for playing time with the man who took advantage of their frequent absences, Taylor Davis.
Like Todd, Davis had exclusively played mop-up snaps against Lindenwood in KU’s season opener before the injuries forced him onto the field at ASU. He never looked out of place despite his inexperience and went on to earn four starts down the stretch. Now, as a redshirt sophomore, he is suddenly one of the most experienced returnees in the entire secondary.
In the spring, Davis said the unexpected playing time gave him “a sense of direction” and of where he stood as a player, but that he couldn’t become complacent.
KU prioritized adding a veteran safety early in the portal and came away with Oklahoma State transfer Lyrik Rawls, whom Davis called a “natural-born leader.”
“The big thing about Lyrik that we really loved is that he had Big 12 experience, so he knows what it is to play in this conference at a high level,” McDonald said.
report to campus on Aug. 13 and slowly begin running as everyone gets acclimated to the humidity and heat of the region. KU starts with the Bob Timmons Classic in Lawrence on Aug. 30 before back-toback meets in Columbia, Missouri, on Sept. 27 and on Oct. 18. KU will have homecourse advantage in the conference championship, with the meet being held at Rim Rock Farm on Oct. 31. Redwine said it’s an opportunity for the athletes
The Jayhawks also brought in Laquan Robinson, a former highly touted JUCO recruit who played just five snaps at Auburn. Special teams: On paper, the kicker and punter KU brought in this offseason look like the best players special teams coach Taiwo Onatolu has had at his disposal in his time at KU.
In his first year as a placekicker, Laith Marjan was nearly perfect at South Alabama. He went 16-for-17 and was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award given to the nation’s top kicker.
The Jayhawks also replaced one Australian punter with another when Damon Greaves transferred to Colorado and they added Finn Lappin from McNeese State. He averaged 46.1 yards per punt with the Cowboys, which was the best average in that program’s history — it’s also a few yards better than what Greaves supplied last season. KU also made a surprise latesummer addition of former Prairie View A&M punter Efren Jasso.
Emory Duggar, a redshirt senior who has seen occasional past action, should step in as KU’s long snapper following the graduation of Luke Hosford.
Many of KU’s receivers are set to figure prominently into the return game in 2025. Leipold and Onatolu both mentioned Henderson, Kubecka, Nagy and Pickett in the pool from which the Jayhawks will draw their kick and punt returners. That phase of the game was not much of a factor for KU in 2024, when the Jayhawks only returned eight punts all year and Wilson’s 18 kick returns averaged 20.1 yards.
that everyone is excited about.
“Rim Rock Farm is one of the premier courses in the nation, and we’re excited about that,” Redwine said.
“To be able to host is just exciting for our athletes to compete at home, for them to have their families come and see them compete at an event of that caliber at home, for our community to come and see us — I think it’s all great.”
Success in the Big 12 championships would bring Jayhawks to the
NCAA Midwest regional on Nov. 14 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. before the national championships on Nov. 22 in Columbia, Missouri.
“Talking to Coach (Michael) Whittlesey, both men and women are hopefully training and doing the things they’re supposed to be doing over the summer,” Redwine said. “(We’re) looking forward to them coming back and us seeing where we are and seeing what we have to do.”
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Charlie Riedel/AP Photo
KANSAS SAFETY TAYLOR DAVIS (27) breaks up a pass intended for Iowa State wide receiver Jayden Higgins (9) during the second half on Nov. 9 in Kansas City, Mo. Kansas won 45-36.
