photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas quarterback Cole Ballard looks to find an open receiver against Kansas State at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 in Lawrence.

The Kansas football team will begin spring practice on Thursday morning, providing the first look at a reconstituted roster that will attempt to elevate the KU program during the 2026 season.

The Jayhawks lost much of their skill-position talent from 2025, a campaign in which they finished 5-7 and fell short of the postseason for the second straight year, but they do return some key defensive pieces who have already earned extensive playing time, some still early in their careers.

KU had a busy month of January as it acquired some 30 transfers to fill numerous holes created by the portal and graduation, but its most significant move of all might have been rehiring former offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki as associate head coach and offensive play caller.

The open-practice windows KU provides during the spring won’t reveal the gritty details of Kotelnicki’s offense, nor will they be sufficient to decide the numerous position battles that will rage throughout the Jayhawks’ roster until late summer. But they will provide the first insights into several key storylines that could shape the year ahead.

photo by: AP Photo/Michael Wyke

Rice quarterback Chase Jenkins (4) looks to pass the ball against North Texas during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Houston.

QUARTERBACK BATTLE

Former KU quarterback Jalon Daniels recently said at his Pro Day, “I’m very interested to be able to see that quarterback room.” The KU fan base will undoubtedly feel the same way. This will be the defining story of the offseason, in large part because it is unlike anything that has taken place at KU in the last four years, when Daniels was always the undeniable starter, even as he battled injuries.

The trio of returnees Cole Ballard and Isaiah Marshall and Rice transfer Chase Jenkins, a late addition in the winter, has not inspired much nationwide confidence in KU’s quarterback group. CBS Sports recently ranked Marshall, its projected starter, as the worst in the Big 12 and ESPN placed Ballard 66th of 68 power-conference quarterbacks. Someone from the group will have the chance to step up and prove those publications wrong.

Ballard is the closest thing the race has to an incumbent as the second-stringer behind Daniels each of the last two years, but Marshall might have the highest ceiling and Jenkins is the only one with actual sustained starting experience. The spring won’t say much about who has an edge in the competition, but it will provide opportunities to learn more about each player’s strengths and weaknesses and how they are perceived by their teammates.

photo by: AP Photo/Michael Thomas

Texas offensive lineman Connor Stroh, center, blocks for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, back, during the first half of an NCAA college football game against San Jose State, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

PIECES IN COMBINATION

KU stuck with Calvin Clements at left tackle all the way through his redshirt sophomore season even as he struggled mightily for most of the season. Between that move and offensive line coach Daryl Agpalsa’s past expressions of confidence in Clements as KU’s present and future left tackle, it seems unlikely that his position will be in jeopardy, even though the Jayhawks brought in veteran 6-foot-8 left tackle Nick Morrow from Cal. One of the two will have to start on the right side. KU also quietly added Missouri transfer Brandon Solis and brings back reserve Jack Tanner.

The interior line is even more compelling. KU will want to have its best possible five protecting its new quarterback. Amir Herring climbed the depth chart to become one of KU’s best linemen as a redshirt sophomore left guard last year. Does the best five place Herring at guard again, or at center, where he has occasionally worked in the past? That depends on how confident KU is in each of returning rotational guard Tavake Tuikolovatu, Texas transfer guard Connor Stroh and Oklahoma State transfer center Kasen Carpenter.

photo by: Kahner Sampson/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas assistant coach Joe Dineen speaks to the media prior to Kansas Football’s pro day on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the Anderson Football Complex in Lawrence.

DIVISION OF LABOR

There are a handful of new assignments on the KU coaching staff. With Kotelnicki back, former offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski now has the title of passing game coordinator. What does that entail and how does it differ from or resemble his previous roles as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach? How have Kotelnicki, Zebrowski and co-OC/tight ends coach Matt Lubick settled back into working together as a unit for the first time since 2023, albeit with slightly different responsibilities than when they were previously on staff together?

Elsewhere, Taiwo Onatolu has shifted to focusing solely on special teams, while Joe Dineen has been elevated to defensive ends coach (old limits on numbers of hands-on coaches no longer really apply, so KU might as well have separate coaches fulfill these responsibilities). That could mean increased individual attention for players in each position group. The defensive ends might be in for at least a slight learning curve, even though Dineen was on staff last year, as he recently said he will “tweak a few things here and there.”

EMERGING CONTENDERS

Tate Nagy, who returned punts last year, was the only member of the 2025 class to receive significant playing time as a true freshman. With their redshirt years in the rearview mirror, some of Nagy’s classmates could find their way onto the field as redshirt freshmen, like defensive end Dakyus Brinkley and tight end Carson Bruhn did last year.

The roster certainly contains plenty of possibilities. Linebacker Malachi Curvey might have been a leading candidate, although KU did add a lot of transfers at his position during the offseason. Other players from the class who redshirted last year include (but are not limited to) defensive ends Adrian Holley and Garrett Martin; defensive tackle Josiah Hammond; offensive lineman Anderson Kopp; and wide receivers Jackson Cook, Bryson Hayes and Jaden Nickens.

There’s also the chance that an early-enrolling freshman could impress so much as to get on the field right away as Nagy did, although it’ll be significantly more challenging. The main exception there is punter Matthew Gill, the only player at his position on the roster right now, an import from Sydney.