photo by: Courtesy of KU Athletics

Kansas football coach Lance Leipold gives direction during preseason camp on Aug. 5, 2021, during Leipold's first practice with the Jayhawks.

During his 14 previous seasons as a head college football coach, Lance Leipold first won six Division III national championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater and then turned a down in the dumps Buffalo program into a bowl game regular. Between Leipold’s eight years with Whitewater and six with the Bulls he amassed a 146-39 career record.

And he knows none of that guarantees him anything headed into his first season as the head coach for Kansas football.

As the Jayhawks reboot yet again, Leipold, the program’s third head coach in the past four years, hopes to replicate his past success in Lawrence. But it remains to be seen how long a rebuilding project of that magnitude will take — and whether it’s possible at KU, where the Jayhawks have won no more than three games in a season 11 years in a row.

“We’re going to expect and want our players to continue to work on daily improvement,” Leipold said of one of the requirements for this undertaking. “We have to be a program that’s going to take care of the finer points of the game and continue to build consistency and confidence in each and every thing that we do.”

That’s one aspect of what worked for Leipold at his past stops as he climbed up the college football coaching ladder. And he thinks the Jayhawks are willing to follow his lead, too, based on all the head coach has learned about his players since taking over the program late in the spring.

“They’re accepting the change,” Leipold said of a new culture being established for the long-struggling program. “We’re going to need that desire each and every day as you go through some of the tough times.”

Coming off a pandemic-shortened 0-9 season in 2020 before Leipold took over, the Jayhawks and their fan base know all too well about disappointing falls on the gridiron. But with Leipold’s track record and reputation and what the players have seen from their new coach and his staff in the offseason, the Jayhawks are eager to enter a new era and see where Leipold takes them.

Quarterbacks

If the odd timing of Leipold’s hire — just as KU football wrapped up its spring practice schedule — hadn’t kept the new staff from working with the players in the spring, maybe KU’s quarterback situation would be sorted out by now. Instead, as usual, the Jayhawks entered preseason camp with no clearcut No. 1 QB.

Leipold didn’t mind sharing early on in August that the competition might last all the way up to the final practice before the team’s Sept. 3 opener versus South Dakota.

Letting it play out thoroughly, the coach said, allows for extra evaluation time for the new coaches, and perhaps even some gains for the QBs as each tries to prove he should be the starter.

Whether it’s senior Miles Kendrick, sophomore Jalon Daniels or newcomer Jason Bean (a junior transfer from North Texas) who enters the season as QB No. 1, Leipold, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and QBs coach Jim Zebrowski didn’t want to rush into a decision.

Running backs

Kotelnicki just left a UB offense that averaged 43.1 carries and 287.1 yards on the ground in 2020. KU’s running backs room appears to have the depth for the Jayhawks to try and embrace that type of attack in the first year of the Leipold regime.

The Jayhawks don’t have Pooka Williams anymore. But they do bring back their leading returning rusher, junior Velton Gardner, who averaged 4.5 yards per carry a year ago when he ran for 325 yards as a sophomore.

As a bonus, the KU offense also has a couple of backs who filled in for Gardner in 2020 and proved they have plenty of potential, too. Sophomore Daniel Hishaw Jr. averaged 4.4 yards per carry last fall and redshirt freshman Amauri Pesek-Hickson put up 3.6 yards per carry. Hishaw capped his debut year with an 87-yard outing at Texas Tech, while Pesek-Hickson was the only Jayhawk in 2020 with a 100-yard rushing game, coming through against TCU.

What’s more, the Jayhawks’ top incoming freshman, former Lawrence High star Devin Neal, drew high praise throughout preseason camp. Leipold expects the hometown true freshman will play a role immediately, as the Jayhawks have the luxury of using many backs and keeping their legs fresh.

Offensive line

Of course, in order to have an effective ground game, KU will need a vastly improved offensive line in 2021.

The arrival of Kotelnicki and O-line coach Scott Fuchs are expected to help the Jayhawks’ play up front. And the line also is counting on benefiting from the addition of junior center Mike Novitsky, who played transferred in from UB. A first-team All-MAC center a year ago, Novitsky started every game for the Bulls the past two seasons and is as surefire a starter as the offense has.

Leipold and his staff also are optimistic about another former UB blocker up front, Michael Ford Jr., who redshirted with Buffalo last season. Ford is a potential starter at tackle at some point during his upcoming redshirt freshman season. But there could be healthy competition at the right tackle spot between the newcomer and redshirt freshman Bryce Cabeldue, who started the final two games at that position last year.

With Novitsky’s arrival via the transfer portal this summer, former Notre Dame walk-on Colin Grunhard, who was in the program all spring, moves from a likely starter at center to possibly becoming the Jayhawks’ starting right guard as a junior.

On the other side of Novitsky, super-senior Malik Clark is back at his natural spot, left guard, after spending most of 2020 at left tackle.

Senior Earl Bostick Jr., who finished last year as KU’s starting left tackle, looks to retain that spot.

Sophomore Armaj Reed-Adams and super-seniors Adagio Lopeti and Chris Hughes could all play key roles for the O-line this fall, as well.

Receivers

Although Leipold retained receivers coach — and interim head coach during the spring — Emmett Jones, the position group going into the 2021 season looks a lot different than it did a year ago.

Gone via the transfer portal are Andrew Parchment and Stephon Robinson Jr., leaving Kwamie Lassiter II as the only super-senior among the receivers.

Lassiter, though, led the struggling KU offense in receiving yards (458) and receptions (43) in 2020.

The Jayhawks also welcome back sophomore Luke Grimm, who finished second on the team with his 255 receiving yards, despite not taking on a contributing role until the final five games of 2020. Grimm made up for lost time, making 18 of his 19 receptions in KU’s last four games. He scored both of his freshman year TDs versus TCU.

KU’s receiving room has a number of other players who could take off in the months ahead, too. Sophomore Trevor Wilson was a speedy target for Buffalo a year ago and scored three TDs. A 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman, Lawrence Arnold had his 2020 season with KU shortened by injury. Sophomore Steven McBride’s name often gets brought up by teammates as a receiver expected to step up. Junior Kevin Terry, a former walk-on at Texas Tech, has known Jones since he was a high school senior and gained his teammates’ trust in camp.

Plus, sophomore Tristan Golightly, freshman Tanaka Scott, redshirt freshman Quentin Skinner and junior Jamahl Horne all have been touted at times this offseason for their potential.

Tight ends

While it remains to be seen how much the tight ends will factor into the passing game production wise, Kotelnicki, who coaches the group, likes using tight ends and H-backs. The O.C. also liked what he saw from the group during camp.

Junior Mason Fairchild and redshirt freshmen Trevor Kardell and Will Huggins are the most likely passing targets in the group.

Fairchild caught just five balls for 57 yards in 2020, but an uptick in production from him and the tight end group is possible within Kotelnicki’s scheme.

Defensive line

With defensive coordinator Brian Borland following his longtime boss, Leipold, from Buffalo, the Jayhawks’ base scheme will now be a four-man front instead of the three-man approach used the past couple of years.

And Borland thinks D-end might be one of his deeper spots, with athletic super-senior Kyron Johnson, senior Malcolm Lee, sophomore Steven Parker, senior Zion DeBose (a transfer from Virginia Tech), senior Hayden Hatcher and freshman D’Marion Alexander.

On the interior, the Jayhawks were pleased to add a pair of former Buffalo linemen, veterans Eddie Wilson and Ronald McGee, both of whom still have two years of eligibility left.

Super-senior nose tackle Sam Burt returns for the unit, after starting eight games in 2020. And the D-line group also has senior Caleb Sampson, sophomore Jereme Robinson and redshirt freshman Caleb Taylor to deploy up front.

Linebackers

The linebacker group, coached by Chris Simpson, doesn’t have a wealth of experience and might be the most difficult position to project for the fall.

The elder statesman of the bunch is super-senior Nate Betts, but he played safety up until this year at KU.

The most knowledgeable and comfortable within Borland’s defense at linebacker should be junior Rich Miller, who was a backup at UB the past two seasons.

While they were thrust into starting roles late in 2020 due to injuries and other issues, KU at least has some seasoned linebackers coming back in juniors Gavin Potter and Nick Channel. And even sophomore Taiwan Berryhill got one start last year, in the season finale.

The group also includes senior Takulve “TK” Williams, who played receiver previously, senior Jay Dineen, redshirt freshman Cornell Wheeler (a transfer from Michigan), redshirt freshman Krishawn Brown and freshman James Wright, among others.

Safeties

One of the most recognizable faces within an ever-changing program resides in the secondary at safety, where junior Kenny Logan Jr. has emerged as a prominent leader.

Also KU’s leading tackler a year ago, Logan, who contributed 58 total stops to go with his two interceptions and one forced fumble, is joined at safety by super-senior Ricky Thomas. This past fall, Thomas finished tied for second on the defense with Kyrong Johnson in total tackles (42).

Behind the veterans, KU’s safeties trend very young. But the Jayhawks have raved about the potential of true freshmen Jayson Gilliom and O.J. Burroughs since they joined the program early in the spring.

Cornerbacks

The starting cornerback spots will look unrecognizable when the season begins, with both Elijah Jones and Karon Prunty long gone via the transfer portal.

The only corner who played regularly for the Jayhawks in 2020 who is back is Duece Mayberry, now a sophomore.

Mayberry and the young cornerback group at least added a veteran presence just before camp started. Super-senior Jeremy Webb, a grad transfer from Missouri State who also played earlier in his career at Virginia Tech, comes in with some starting experience, as well as unusual length for a corner, at 6-4.

Redshirt freshman Ra’Mello Dotson and freshman Jacobee Bryant also will need to acclimate quickly in the secondary.

Kicking

As first-year KU assistant Jake Schoonover, a holdover from the previous regime, takes over special teams, he’s expecting some specialists who had to contribute as freshmen in 2020 to keep handling their business as sophomores.

Reis Vernon punted in each of the final five games for KU this past fall and averaged 37.8 yards per punt, with a long of 50 yards.

Jacob Borcila appeared in all nine games for the Jayhawks a year ago, but rarely came across field goal opportunities. Borcila finished 6-for-9 on field goal tries, with a season-best long of 48 yards. He went a perfect 10-for-10 on extra points.

And on kickoffs, it will once again be Tabor Allen trying to boot the ball away from dangerous returners. Allen kicked six touchbacks on his 18 kickoffs, while playing as a true freshman in the final six games of 2020.

2021 KU football schedule

Sept. 3 — South Dakota, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sept. 10 — at Coastal Carolina, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sept. 18 — Baylor, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)

Sept. 25 — at Duke

Oct. 2 — at Iowa State

Oct. 9 — Bye week

Oct. 16 — Texas Tech

Oct. 23 — Oklahoma

Oct. 30 — at Oklahoma State

Nov. 6 — Kansas State

Nov. 13 — at Texas

Nov. 20 — at TCU

Nov. 27 — West Virginia