photo by: Nick Krug

Kansas kick returner Emmanuel Henderson Jr. takes off after receiving a kick from West Virginia during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025 at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Senior receiver Emmanuel Henderson Jr. went out on kickoff return in the second quarter of Kansas football’s 41-10 win over West Virginia on Saturday with instructions to make a fair catch.

Henderson opted to make a play instead. He fielded a short kick and ran up to Kansas’ 44-yard line, which vaulted the offense into a quick, three-play, 56-yard scoring drive.

“I was very confident after I broke loose on the first one,” Henderson said. “I had a for-sure feeling that I was going to get the second one if I had a chance.”

When the Kansas offense needed a spark, Henderson got it done in the kick return game. He took the next kickoff return after his 44-yarder to the house, giving the Jayhawks a touchdown 12 seconds into the second half.

“I saw my guys executing the play and make a hole for me,” Henderson said of the kick return touchdown. “After I broke the first tackle, I was like, “Yeah, I got it.'”

Redshirt senior quarterback Jalon Daniels watched the play from the sidelines, and, knowing Henderson’s speed, was certain that Henderson was taking it to the house when Henderson broke the first tackle.

“Y’all got the chance to see that speed we’re always talking about,” Daniels said. “As soon as I seen him break the first defender, I said, ‘Oh my God, he might do it.’ He got past that last person, I was like, ‘All right, see you later.'”

The kick return touchdown was the first of Henderson’s career, and it was the first for Kansas since Kenny Logan Jr.’s touchdown against Iowa State in 2020.

Henderson said he trusts his teammates to block on kick returns, which impacted his decision to run the ball out on the 43-yard return in the second quarter.

Up until Henderson’s first big return, the Kansas offense was somewhat stagnant. The Jayhawks had just 10 points and weren’t effective in the passing game or in running the ball.

That all changed after Henderson’s 43-yard return. Kansas finished the drive with a 39-yard pass from Daniels to redshirt senior running back Leshon Williams. Then the Jayhawks drove downfield and scored a field goal before halftime, and Henderson started the second half with the kick return touchdown. On the Jayhawks’ first full drive of the second half, they scored again.

“I knew he was pretty confident on what was happening,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said of Henderson’s first run. “The cool thing is you give everybody a chance to see how fast the guy really is, and it was an impressive run, and a big-time boost for us in that middle eight (minutes).”

A 10-3 Kansas lead quickly became a 34-3 lead in about eight minutes of game time.

“Those are situations that we practice a lot in practice, and to be able to see us go be able to do it on the game field meant a lot,” Daniels said.

Henderson’s success in the kick return game came with a strong outing at receiver. He finished with six catches for 38 yards. No other receiver had more than one catch. As Henderson continues to build chemistry and gets comfortable in his roles with the team, he can showcase the speed that brought him to Lawrence.

“It feels amazing,” Henderson said of his offensive workload. “I’m just blessed. I thank Jalon (Daniels) for continuing to put trust in me and my teammates and the wide receiver group overall. I love it.”