photo by: Liz Parke/Big 12

Kansas senior safety Kenny Logan Jr. speaks to reporters as part of the Big 12 media days on July 13, 2022, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kansas football safety Kenny Logan recently had shoulder surgery and is expected to miss most, if not all, of the Jayhawks’ upcoming spring practices, the Journal-World learned Wednesday night.

Logan, a starter and leader for the Jayhawks’ defense during the past two seasons, was spotted at the KU women’s basketball game on Wednesday night wearing a sling on his right arm.

A person with knowledge of the injury indicated that neither the injury nor Logan’s absence from spring practices was expected to be a concern for the 2023 season.

After contemplating his future in the weeks leading up to KU’s appearance in the Liberty Bowl in late-December, Logan announced just a few days before Christmas that he was returning to Kansas for his final season of eligibility.

“I felt like it was the best thing for me, and it was a chance to come back and help this program,” Logan said in December of his plans to return. “I saw what we did this year and I know there’s a lot more we still can do.”

A 6-foot, 210-pound super-senior-to-be from St. Augustine, Fla., Logan has been a tackling machine during the past two seasons with the Jayhawks. In 2021, he led the Big 12 in tackles, with 113 — the most by a safety in the entire NCAA — and, in 2022, with a better supporting cast around him, Logan recorded a team-best 96 tackles and also snatched two interceptions, with four pass break-ups.

In KU’s triple-overtime loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl — the program’s first bowl appearance in 14 years — Logan finished second on the team with 10 tackles and also was credited with a pass break-up.

When he returns, he’ll be joining a team that is expected to have 17 of its 22 starters back on offense and defense. And his time on the sideline this spring will give others a chance to prepare for a bigger role, therein possibly bolstering the Jayhawks’ depth in the secondary when the 2023 season rolls around.