Most Crucial Jayhawks 2016: No. 3 – RB Ke’aun Kinner
Kansas running back Ke'aun Kinner (22) breezes past Memphis linebacker Hayden Ferrari (30) during the second quarter on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015 at Memorial Stadium.
Coming in at No. 3 on our list of the most crucial Jayhawks of the 2016 season is one of the best players from 2015 and one of the more pleasant surprises from a year ago.
He did not arrive on campus with much hype, but his size, speed, vision and ability quickly turned him into one of the more important options on a struggling offense that fought through injuries and youth all season long.
Thrust more into a leadership role in 2016, Kinner will be even more valuable for this program and everybody, both inside and outside the program, enters the season knowing that.
Reminder: This is not a list of the 25 best players on this year’s team. That would be much easier to pinpoint and, although still key, would not exactly demonstrate the full value that each player has in regard to the 2016 season.
This is a list of the 25 players who need to have strong seasons in order for the Jayhawks to have a chance to compete.
Matt Tait and I came up with the list by each making our own list of 25 and then combining the results. We did the same thing for the last two years, but the amount of fresh faces made this list much tougher to put together.
Track the list every weekday at KUsports.com, where we’ll unveil the list one-by-one in reverse order. And, in case you miss some, be sure to check the links at the bottom of each entry for an up-to-date look at the list of 25.
3. Ke’aun Kinner, Sr. Running Back
So many numbers say so much about the ineptitude of the 2015 Kansas football offense.
There aren’t many number combinations that say it better than these: Running back Ke’aun Kinner led the team with five touchdowns. Kinner did not have a single touchdown in KU’s nine games against Big 12 opponents.
Kinner, No. 3 on our list of the top 25 most crucial Jayhawks, rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns in his debut in a 41-38 loss to South Dakota State. He followed that up with 113 yards and a touchdown vs. Memphis. He scored twice against Rutgers, but averaged just 1.5 yards per game.
In his 10 games vs. schools from power five conferences, Kinner averaged 3.1 yards per carry, after averaging 6.3 yards in in the opening two weeks.
Those numbers suggest two things about Kinner: 1. When he’s fresh, he’s far better than when the hits over the course of a season result in nagging injuries; 2. When the offensive line is not completely overmatched and gives him room to run, he makes things happen.
Slowed by injuries, Kinner turned 25 carries into 49 yards during a four-game stretch (Baylor, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma). He emerged from that dry spell by combining for 30 carries and 147 yards in road games against Texas and TCU.
Kinner has break-away speed, but even after adding 11 pounds to get to 191, the 5-foot-9 back could use a lighter work load to increase his chances of staying healthy.
Anticipated Arkansas transfer Denzell Evans, Fort Hays State transfer James Sullivan and sprinters Taylor Martin, a sophomore, true freshman Khalil Herbert, and Ryan Schadler supply depth. Evans has the most power of the group. Combined, the reserves have 49 carries in Div. I football games without a single touchdown.
Clearly, a healthy season from Kinner is crucial for the Jayhawks.
Top 25 Most Crucial Jayhawks of 2016: