photo by: Henry Greenstein/Journal-World

Kansas defensive end Leroy Harris III is pictured at Big 12 media days on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, in Frisco, Texas.

FRISCO, Texas — On Wednesday, Leroy Harris III served as one of five players representing the Kansas football team in interviews with regional and national reporters at Big 12 media days.

“I’m just honored that they even brought me, brought me out to media day, only being here a year and only being a junior,” he said. “I think I’m one of the youngest that got to go for the team.”

A year earlier, when Harris’ name had come up in discussions at Ford Center at The Star, it was as a potential redshirt candidate during his first year in the Kansas football program. A year prior to that, before he debuted as a freshman at Chattanooga, he had barely even spent any time as a defensive end at all.

“Coming out of high school, I was more of a safety, outside linebacker,” Harris recalled on Wednesday. “I didn’t rush the passer as often. Had like one sack in high school.”

It’s hard to envision that now. Harris, a relatively unheralded transfer who picked the Jayhawks last spring over the likes of Appalachian State and Florida Atlantic, was one of the standout defensive players of KU’s 2026 campaign, its leader in sacks (4.5) and pass breakups (eight) — and still doesn’t appear to be anywhere near his potential.

“Hope I can break through the ceiling this year,” he said.

More to the point, it’s hard to envision Harris as a safety or outside linebacker because he is up to 6-foot-5 and about 270 pounds, even though he still drops into coverage and draws on his former training as part of his role in D.K. McDonald’s defensive scheme.

“Ironically enough, I definitely thought about that as I was deciding what I was going to do with college,” Harris said, “and like with my body and my potential to grow, I mean, with my past genes, my dad being an offensive lineman, I knew I had the potential to get bigger and everything, so I was like, yeah, I think the defensive end, outside linebacker (position) would be where I would be most suited.”

It’s a role that requires a lot out of him.

“I’d just definitely say just the athletic ability that God blessed me with,” Harris said. “I have to be a safety sometimes, and kind of drop in and guard somebody. Other times I got to be a defensive end, kind of working more in the trenches, working in the run, making sure I’m setting the edges, staying in my gap and everything. Shoot, even at times we switch fronts, got to be a three-tech.

“… You have to have the size to be able to play on the inside, you have to be fast to guard maybe a receiver in certain calls, and then strong enough to be in there.”

Harris played his sophomore season around 250 pounds. Even as he puts on weight, he should retain all of these capabilities — he says he’s been able to continue to get faster, hitting 21 mph.

“I always thought I would be around at least the 250 range, but 270 I got up to in the offseason,” Harris said. “Definitely surprised me, but nothing out of the ordinary, just trying to find what works best for me, and just, yeah, what translates to the next level.”

The native of Brentwood, Tennessee, the son of a former Tennessee Titan, has NFL aspirations of his own. But in the meantime he has goals at KU (and a fifth year in which to accomplish them, if he so chooses, given the NCAA’s new eligibility rules, as he acknowledged on Wednesday).

As he previously asserted in the spring, Harris knew immediately he wanted to stay in Lawrence after the conclusion of his first season with the Jayhawks.

“They welcomed me here, and why not continue?” Harris said. “I want to hopefully — God willing I play good enough — I want to be in the Ring of Honor at Kansas one day and continue to play, if I do play good enough, to get drafted this year. If I don’t, continue to play here, as long as they continue to welcome me back here.”