Kansas offensive lineman Logan Brown moves back into line as then-offensive line coach Scott Fuchs works with his position players on Thursday, March 2, 2023 at the indoor practice facility. Photo by Nick Krug

Kansas head coach Lance Leipold struck a confident tone Monday morning as his team emerged from its bye week.

“I really like where we’re at right now,” he said. “I think we had a productive week last week but we at the same time were able to mentally and physically give some guys some downtime and try to get a little healthier (and) refreshed.”

But the overall optimism and Leipold’s subsequent generalization that the Jayhawks are “pretty good right now” health-wise were tempered by a couple pieces of bad news for KU: Logan Brown and Andrew Russell have each had season-ending surgeries.

Brown, a redshirt junior, played in the Jayhawks’ first two games and has been listed as their backup right tackle for most of the year. But he didn’t travel to the Week 3 road tilt at Nevada and hasn’t played since due to what Leipold previously described as a foot injury.

KU will attempt to secure a hardship waiver for Brown in order to retain one of his remaining two years of eligibility. He had already spent four seasons at Wisconsin, and played in 26 games for the Badgers over his last three, prior to joining the Jayhawks this past offseason.

Brown was replaced by redshirt freshman James Livingston as the backup to Bryce Cabeldue on this week’s depth chart. Livingston was limited for most of fall camp. Leipold said on Oct. 9 that the team is looking to widen its offensive line rotation beyond the six players it is currently using (five starters and guard Kobe Baynes) to seven or eight, but is “not quite there yet with our younger tackles.” True freshman Calvin Clements is the primary backup to left tackle Dominick Puni.

The Jayhawks are also seeking a waiver for defensive lineman Ronald McGee, one of the team’s oldest players, who started his career at Highland Community College here in Kansas, joined Leipold at Buffalo, then returned to the Sunflower State to join his coach with Jayhawks. He suffered a season-ending injury during fall camp.

The third man lost for the year, Russell, a sixth-year senior safety from New York, started his college career as a lacrosse player at Michigan and eventually became a reliable special-teamer at KU. He played in 12 of 13 possible games in 2022 but just two this season.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World photo

Kansas redshirt senior Andrew Russell and senior Kenny Logan Jr. during Fall Camp on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

photo by: Chance Parker/Journal-World photo

Kansas redshirt senior Ronald McGee during practice on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023.

Another transfer, Damarius McGhee, formerly of LSU, was expected to serve as a fringe contributor in the secondary entering the season but has only played in the season opener against Missouri State. He has been dealing with a back issue. Leipold didn’t rule him out for the season but simply noted that he is still out and “hopefully we get closer on that.”

The Jayhawks have been able to bring back defensive end Hayden Hatcher for some work at practice. Hatcher has been in and out this year. He was “emergency-only,” as the staff put it, at Nevada and has been more severely hampered by an injury he suffered late in the UCF game, then didn’t practice before KU went to Oklahoma State. But Hatcher, who was a starter at end entering the year, will help replenish a banged-up defensive line that has also seen Jereme Robinson and Austin Booker deal with various ailments in recent weeks.

Jalon Daniels update

Leipold said of Daniels’ progression, “I remain very encouraged,” but added that the starting quarterback, as he continues to deal with his ongoing back tightness, remains “in the doubtful area.” Leipold later amended his characterization to doubtful or questionable and noted that Daniels has been able to do more work in practice of late.

Daniels missed the season opener against Missouri State, returned for three games, and has missed three more since, after his back injury flared up the day of KU’s road game at Texas. If he can’t go on Saturday, Jason Bean will be in line for his fifth start of the season. Bean threw for 410 yards and five touchdowns in one of the best performances of his career at OSU, but tossed a pair of late interceptions that stymied KU’s attempts to close out the game.